Automatic toll adjusting system, and storage medium with a radio communication function, frequency converting apparatus, writing apparatus, settling apparatus, depositing apparatus and inquiring apparatus therefor

ABSTRACT

An automatic toll adjusting system enables a user to voluntarily select a toll payment system with use of a storage medium carried by each user and storing adjustment information necessary for toll adjusting therein. Information is exchanged with the storage medium in radio communication at a first predetermined frequency at a toll adjusting gate employing a first toll payment system to automatically adjust a toll in the first toll payment system. At a toll adjusting gate employing a second toll payment system, information is exchanged with the storage medium in radio communication at a second predetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll in the second toll payment system. This system is applicable to a system for automatically adjusting a fee or charge such as a toll for a toll road.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system for automatically adjusting afee such as a toll for a toll road, for example, Shuto Kosoku Highway,Tomei Kosoku Highway or the like. In particular, this invention relatesto an automatic toll adjusting system employing a storage medium havinga radio communicating function, which system enables automatic tolladjustment resulting in no ticket being issued or no stopping of avehicle.

2) Description of the Related Art

Media used to pay tolls for present toll roads are, in general, a couponticket, a prepaid card (a mode of toll pre-payment by a magnetic card)and the like other than cash.

On a toll road where a toll irrespective of trip distance is collected,for instance, the user stops his or her vehicle at a tollhouse (atollhouse on a toll road of this type is referred to hereinafter as anentrance/exit toll house or an entrance/exit toll adjusting gate), andpays a fixed toll to an attendant of the entrance/exit tollhouse.

On a toll road where a toll according to a trip distance is collected,the user stops his or her vehicle at an entrance tollhouse (a tollhouseon a toll road of this type is referred to hereinafter as an entrancetollhouse or an entrance toll adjusting gate), and receives a ticket onwhich entrance tollhouse information and vehicle type information aremagnetically recorded. At an exit tollhouse (an exit tollhouse on a tollroad of this type is referred to as an exit tollhouse or an exit tolladjusting gate), the user stops the vehicle, hands the ticket to anattendant of this exit tollhouse and pays a toll calculated on the basisof the various information recorded on the ticket.

In general, the user can pay the toll with a coupon ticket, cash, or aprepaid card. In the case of a prepaid card, the user hands the prepaidcard to the attendant. The toll is subtracted from a balance on theprepaid card. The user then receives the prepaid card back from theattendant.

As an adjusting system for tolls, an unmanned entrance/exit tollhouse,or an entrance and exit toll houses both of which are unmanned, or asystem in which toll adjustment necessitating no stopping of a passingvehicle at a tollhouse are not yet generalized. If such a system becomespossible, it will be helpful to solve traffic jams at the tollhouse,save labor, etc.

Littering of tickets in the tollhouse, traffic jams, and exhaust gas ontoll roads are serious public concerns. Therefore, there is anexpectation to solve such problems by realizing ticketless tolladjustment or toll adjustment without needing to stop a vehicle.

There are various proposals where radio communication techniques areused for toll adjustment.

For instance, in a radio card system disclosed in a specification ofJapanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 5-35933, a radio card is insertedin a vehicle mounted apparatus to receive toll information and serviceinformation from a tollhouse, the received various information is outputfrom a display or a speaker of an on-vehicle apparatus, and in additionthe toll is recorded on a radio card in a toll collecting process.

In a toll collecting apparatus disclosed in a specification of JapanesePatent Kokai Publication No. 62-42292, toll information (vehicle type,etc.) stored in an on-vehicle device is transmitted by radiocommunication to a ground device located at a tollhouse, a toll isdetermined by the ground device, and the toll collection information isdisplayed on the on-vehicle device.

In a terminal for collecting a toll for a toll road disclosed in aspecification of Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 63-44293, an IDcard is inserted in an on-vehicle device, a password is input, and thepassword is confirmed. After that, the on-vehicle device transmitssettlement information (ID, vehicle type, etc.) to the terminal at atollhouse by radio communication, then a toll is determined at theterminal.

A toll collecting system disclosed in a specification of Japanese PatentKokai Publication No. 5-197856, discloses a radio card with a display, akeyboard and a terminal which communicate with each other by radiocommunication to collect a toll in a toll pre-payment system employing apassword.

In a highway toll calculating system disclosed in a specification ofJapanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 61-9783, an on-vehicle devicetransmits identification information (ID) and vehicle type informationto a terminal by radio communication to an entrance tollhouse and anexit tollhouse. The terminal calculates a toll based on the receivedinformation, and performs a post-payment process to withdraw thecalculated toll from a bank account. In a toll automatic adjustingsystem for a toll road disclosed in a specification of Japanese PatentKokai Publication No. 5-151414, an on-vehicle device transmits aregistered number to a terminal by radio communication, and the terminalperforms a post-payment process to withdraw a toll calculated on thebasis of the registered number from a bank account through a tollprocessing apparatus.

In addition to the above examples, there are also proposed a tollcollecting system for toll roads where a license number of a vehicle isautomatically recognized to collect a toll from a bank accountcorresponding to the license number of the vehicle (refer tospecifications of Japanese Patent Kokai Publication no. 4-107699, andJapanese Patent Kokai Publication no. 5-54218), and an unmanned tollcollecting system for toll roads in which a license number is read out,a toll is calculated from a vehicle type known from the license number,and the toll is claimed from a registrant of the license number (referto Japanese Patent Kokai Publication no. 63-8890).

However, the above techniques employ either a pre-payment system or apost-payment (credit) system as a toll payment system. To allowvoluntary selection of either a toll pre-payment system or a tollpost-payment system to the users of toll road, it is necessary toprovide an apparatus or a medium for each of the above systems.

According to the above technique, a password is set and stored inadvance and a security function is applied to check the password when atoll is collected. If personal information such as an identificationnumber, a number of a bank account, etc. is exchanged by radiocommunication, there is a risk that the information will be intercepted.It is also necessary to cope with tampering of the data for balanceinformation used for toll pre-payment, an account number for tollpost-payment and vehicle information, or fraudulent, invalid or improperuse of the information or data. Further, to avoid fraudulent, invalid orimproper use or data tampering on a toll post-payment processnecessitating no stopping of a vehicle, there is a demand for a strongsecurity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above problems, an object of this invention is toprovide an automatic toll adjusting system, in addition to a storagemedium with a radio communication function, a frequency convertingapparatus, a writing apparatus, a settling apparatus, a depositingapparatus, and an inquiring apparatus all used for the automatic tolladjusting system, which system and apparatus can realize ticketless tolladjustment or toll adjustment requiring no stopping of a vehicle, allowthe user to voluntarily select a toll pre-payment or a toll post-paymentto improve service for the user of a toll road, and strengthen securityto cope with wrongful, fraudulent, invalid or improper use or datafalsification.

According to this invention, an automatic toll adjusting system forautomatically adjusting a toll and using of a storage medium for storingadjustment information necessary for toll adjustment carried by eachuser comprises a toll adjusting gate employing a first toll paymentsystem for exchanging information with the storage medium by radiocommunication at a first predetermined frequency to automatically adjusta toll in a first toll payment system, and a toll adjusting gateemploying a second toll payment system for exchanging information withthe storage medium by radio communication at a second predeterminedfrequency to automatically adjust a toll in the second toll paymentsystem.

According to this invention, a storage medium having a radiocommunication function for an automatic toll adjusting system carried byeach user, comprises a storing means for storing adjustment informationnecessary for toll adjustment therein, a receiving means for receivinginformation from outside by radio communication at a first predeterminedfrequency, a processing means for performing a read process to readinformation stored in the storing means and a write process to writeinformation into the storing means on the basis of the informationreceived by the receiving means, and a transmitting means fortransmitting responsive information including the information from thestoring means to the outside by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency, at a toll adjusting gate employing a first tollpayment system, information being exchanged directly between thereceiving means and the transmitting means, and a writing apparatus or asettling apparatus for automatic toll adjustment at the toll adjustinggate by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency. At atoll adjusting gate employing a second toll payment system, the storagemedium having the radio communication function is inserted in afrequency converting apparatus converting information and the firstpredetermined frequency is converted into a second predeterminedfrequency for toll post-payment. Besides converting information at thesecond predetermined frequency into the first predetermined frequency,the storage medium having the radio communication function indirectlyexchanges information via the frequency converting apparatus through thereceiving means and the transmitting means with the writing apparatus orthe settling apparatus for automatic toll adjustment at the toll gate byradio communication at the second predetermined frequency.

According to this invention, a frequency converting apparatus is usedfor an automatic toll adjusting system into which a storage medium isinserted. The storage medium has a radio communication function forstoring adjustment information necessary for toll adjustment carried byeach user and for exchanging information with the outside by radiocommunication at a first predetermined frequency. The frequencyconverting apparatus comprises a first communicating means forexchanging information with the storage medium having the radiocommunication function by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when the storage medium having the radio communicationfunction is inserted in the frequency converting apparatus, and a secondcommunicating means for exchanging information with the outside by radiocommunication at a second predetermined frequency. When the storagemedium having the radio communication function is inserted in thefrequency converting apparatus, the first communicating means transmitsinformation received from the outside through the second communicatingmeans to the storage medium by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. In addition, the second communicating meanstransmits information received from the storage medium through the firstcommunicating means to the outside by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency. At a toll adjusting gate, when the storagemedium is inserted in the frequency converting apparatus, information isexchanged between a writing apparatus or a settling apparatus forautomatic toll adjustment at the toll adjusting gate and the storagemedium having the radio communication function via the firstcommunicating means and the second communicating means.

According to this invention, a writing apparatus for an automatic tolladjusting system writes necessary use information for toll adjustment asadjustment information into a storage medium having a radiocommunication function carried by each user. The storage medium havingthe radio communication function stores the adjustment informationnecessary for toll adjustment therein and exchanges information with theoutside by radio communication at a first predetermined frequency. Thewriting apparatus comprises a communicating means for exchanginginformation with the storage medium having the radio communicationfunction by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency atan entrance toll adjusting gate employing a first toll payment system,and for exchanging information with the storage medium having the radiocommunication function by radio communication at a second predeterminedfrequency at an entrance toll adjusting gate employing a second tollpayment system, and a demand issuing means for issuing a write demand towrite use information about the entrance toll adjusting gate to thestorage medium through the communicating means. When a user carrying thestorage medium passes through the entrance toll adjusting gate, thedemand issues means issues a write demand to write the use informationincluding unique information about the entrance toll adjusting gate tothe storage medium through the communicating means.

According to this invention, a settling apparatus used for an automatictoll adjusting system acquires adjustment information from a storagemedium having a radio communication function to automatically adjust atoll charged to a holder of the storage medium on the basis of theadjustment information. The storage medium is carried by each user forstoring the adjustment information necessary for toll adjustment thereinand exchanges information with the outside by radio communication at afirst predetermined frequency. The settling apparatus comprises acommunicating means for exchanging information with the storage mediumby radio communication at the first predetermined frequency at a tolladjusting gate employing a first toll payment system, and for exchanginginformation with the storage medium by radio communication at a secondpredetermined frequency at a toll adjusting gate employing a second tollpayment system, a demand issuing means for issuing a read demand to readthe adjustment information or a write demand to write adjustment resultinformation to the storage medium through the communicating means, and atoll adjusting means for automatically adjusting a toll charged to aholder of the storage medium on the basis of the adjustment informationreceived from the storage medium through the communicating means inresponse to the read demand from the demand issuing means. When the usercarrying the storage medium passes through the toll adjusting gate, thedemand issuing means issues a read demand to read the adjustmentinformation to the storage medium through the communicating means. Whenthe settling apparatus receives the adjustment information from thestorage medium by radio communication through the communicating means inresponse to the read demand, the toll adjusting means automaticallyadjusting a toll charged to the holder of the storage medium on thebasis of the received adjustment information. The demand issuing meansissues a write demand to write adjustment result information including acharged toll adjusted by the toll adjusting means and paymentdistinction indicating whether a toll payment system is a first tollpayment system or a second toll payment system to the storage mediumthrough the communicating means.

According to this invention, a depositing apparatus used for anautomatic toll adjusting system performs a depositing process for tollpre-payment on a storage medium having a radio communication function.The storage medium having the radio communication function is carried byeach user for storing adjustment information necessary for tolladjustment therein and for exchanging information with the outside byradio communication at a first predetermined frequency. The depositingapparatus comprises a communicating means for directly exchanginginformation with the storage medium by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency, a depositing means for performing thedepositing process on the storage medium, and a demand issuing means forissuing a read demand to read balance information or a write demand towrite depositing information and new balance information resulting fromthe depositing process by the depositing means to the storage medium.When the depositing apparatus performs the depositing process on thestorage medium, the demand issuing means issues a read demand to readthe balance information from the storage medium through thecommunicating means. When the depositing apparatus receives the balanceinformation from the storage medium through the communicating means inresponse to the read demand, the depositing means adds a sum of moneydeposited this time to the depositing balance information to obtain anew balance. The demand issuing means issues a write demand to write thebalance information including the new balance calculated by thedepositing means. The depositing information includes the sum of moneydeposited this time to the storage medium through the communicatingmeans.

According to this invention, an inquiring apparatus used for anautomatic toll adjusting system inquires about information stored in astorage medium having a radio communication function. The storage mediumis carried by each user for storing adjustment information necessary fortoll adjustment therein and for exchanging information with the outsideby radio communication at a first predetermined frequency. The inquiringapparatus comprises a communicating means for directly exchanginginformation with the storage medium having the radio communicationfunction by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency, ademand issuing means for issuing a read demand to read the informationstored in the storage medium to the storage medium with the radiocommunicating function through the communicating means, and anoutputting means for outputting information received from the storagemedium through communicating means in response to the read demand issuedfrom the demand issuing means.

As above, the automatic toll adjusting system and various apparatustherefor according to this invention allows the user to select a tollpayment system by selecting a frequency for radio transmission at thetoll adjusting gate, which greatly improves service to the users of thetoll road or the like.

In particular, the user selects direct radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency with the storage medium having the radiocommunication function or indirect communication at the secondpredetermined frequency with the storage medium via the frequencyconverting apparatus by inserting the storage medium into the frequencyconverting apparatus so as to voluntarily select a toll payment systemat the toll adjusting gate. This manner can largely improve service tothe users of the toll road or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 through 7 are block diagrams each showing an aspect of thisinvention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an entire configuration of anautomatic toll adjusting system according to an embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a radio card according to the embodiment ofthis invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an on-vehicle device according to theembodiment of this invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a writing apparatus for an entrance tolladjusting gate according to the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a settling apparatus for an exit tolladjusting gate in a toll pre-payment system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a settling apparatus for an exit tolladjusting gate in a toll post-payment system according to theembodiment;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a settling apparatus for an entrance/exittoll adjusting gate in the toll pre-payment system according to theembodiment;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a settling apparatus for an entrance/exittoll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment system according to theembodiment;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a depositing apparatus for the tollpre-payment system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an inquiring apparatus according to theembodiment;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an entrance toll adjusting gate in thetoll post-payment system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an exit toll adjusting gate or anentrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment systemaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 20 is an illustration depicting a structure of communication dataand a method for detecting tampered data upon radio communicationaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 21 is an illustration depicting a structure of data in a storage ofthe radio card according to the embodiment;

FIG. 22 is an illustration of communication data in a depositing processaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 23 is an illustration of communication data at the entrance tolladjusting gate in the a pre-payment process according to the embodiment;

FIG. 24 is an illustration of communication data at the exit tolladjusting gate in the toll pre-payment process according to theembodiment;

FIG. 25 is an illustration of communication data at the entrance/exittoll adjusting gate in the toll pre-payment process according to theembodiment;

FIG. 26 is a graph depicting an operation of a totaling process unitaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 27 is an illustration of communication data at the entrance tolladjusting gate in the toll post-payment process according to theembodiment;

FIG. 28 is an illustration of communication data in a vehicle typerecognizing zone at the exit toll adjusting gate in a toll post-paymentprocess according to the embodiment;

FIG. 29 is an illustration of communication data in a toll settling zoneat the exit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment processaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 30 is an illustration of communication data in an image zone at theexit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment process according tothe embodiment;

FIG. 31 is an illustration of communication data in a vehicle typerecognizing zone at an entrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the tollpost-payment process according to the embodiment;

FIG. 32 is an illustration of communication data in an toll settlingzone at the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the post-paymentprocess according to the embodiment;

FIG. 33 is an illustration of data communication in an image zone at theentrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment processaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 34 shows an example of an inquiry for all data by the inquiringapparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 35 shows an example of an inquiry for payments by the inquiringapparatus according to the embodiment; and

FIG. 36 shows an example of an inquiry for deposit by the inquiringapparatus according to the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT (a) Description of Aspects ofthe Invention

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an aspect of this invention (a tollautomatic adjusting system). In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes astorage medium for storing adjustment information which is retained byusers and is necessary for toll adjustment. In an automatic tolladjusting system of this invention, information is exchanged between thestorage medium 1 and a toll adjusting gate employing a first tollpayment system by radio communication at a first predetermined frequencyto automatically adjust a toll in the first toll payment system. On theother hand, information is exchanged between a storage medium 2 and atoll adjusting gate employing a second toll payment system in radiocommunication at a second predetermined frequency to automaticallyadjust a toll in the second toll payment system.

The storage medium 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a radio communication functionto exchange information with the outside by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a frequency converting apparatus,and 3 denotes a vehicle. The frequency converting apparatus 2 is mountedon the vehicle 3 travelling on a toll road. When the storage medium 1 isinserted therein, the frequency converting apparatus 2 convertsinformation at the first predetermined frequency, supplied from thestorage medium 1, into the second predetermined frequency to transmit itto the outside by radio communication. The frequency convertingapparatus also converts information at the second predeterminedfrequency, supplied from the outside, into the first predeterminedfrequency to transmit it to the storage medium 1 by radio communication.

At the toll adjusting gate employing a first toll payment system,information is directly exchanged with the storage medium 1 by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency to automaticallyadjust a toll in the first toll payment system. At the toll adjustinggate employing the second toll payment system, the storage medium 1 isinserted in the frequency converting apparatus 2, and information isindirectly exchanged with the storage medium 1 via the frequencyconverting apparatus 2 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll in the secondtoll payment system.

FIG. 1 shows an example where an object of toll adjustment is a tollaccording to a trip distance on a toll road. Reference numeral 4 denotesa writing apparatus for an entrance toll adjusting gate installed at anentrance toll adjusting gate on a toll road where a toll according to atrip distance is collected. Reference numeral 5 denotes a settlingapparatus for an exit toll adjusting gate installed at the exit tolladjusting gate on a toll road where a toll according to a trip distanceis collected. Reference numeral 6 denotes a settling apparatus for anentrance/exit toll adjusting gate installed at the entrance/exit tolladjusting gate which is located at either an entrance or an exit for atoll road where a toll, irrespective of a trip distance, is collected.

The writing apparatus 4 for the entrance toll adjusting gate transmitsuse information including unique information about the entrance tolladjusting gate to the storage medium 1 of the vehicle 3 passing throughthe entrance toll adjusting gate directly by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency, or indirectly via the frequencyconverting apparatus 2 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency. The writing apparatus 4 writes the useinformation as adjustment information into the storage medium 1.

The settling apparatus 5 for the exit toll adjusting gate communicateswith the storage medium 1 or the frequency converting apparatus 2 byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency or at thesecond predetermined frequency. The settling apparatus 5 acquires theadjustment information directly from the storage medium 1, or indirectlyvia the frequency converting apparatus 2 and automatically adjusts atoll for the toll road which is charged to a holder of the storagemedium 1 on the basis of the adjustment information.

The settling apparatus 6 for the entrance/exit toll adjusting gatecommunicates with the storage medium 1 or the frequency convertingapparatus 2 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequencyor at the second predetermined frequency. The settling apparatus 6acquires the adjustment information directly from the storage medium 1or indirectly via the frequency converting apparatus 2 and automaticallyadjusts a toll for a toll road which is charged to a holder of thestorage medium 1 on the basis of the adjustment information.

If the first toll payment system is employed, information is directlyexchanged among the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatuses 5 and6, and the storage medium 1 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll in the first tollpayment system by the settling apparatuses 5 and 6. If the second tollpayment system is employed, the storage medium 1 is inserted in thefrequency converting apparatus 2 and information is indirectly exchangedamong the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatuses 5 and 6, and thestorage medium 1 via the frequency converting apparatus 2 by radiocommunication at the second predetermined frequency to automaticallyadjust a toll in the second toll payment system by the settlingapparatuses 5 and 6.

Upon toll automatic adjustment by the settling apparatus 5 for the exittoll adjusting gate or the settling apparatus 6 for the entrance/exittoll adjusting gate, the settling apparatus 5 or 6 transmits a tollwhich is to be collected and which was obtained by adjustment in thesettling apparatus 5 or 6. Adjustment result information includingpayment distinction showing whether the payment system is the firstpayment system or the second system is also transmitted by the settlingapparatus 5 and 6 to the storage medium 1, and the information iswritten into the storage medium 1 as use information.

The information written in the storage medium 1 is enciphered with apredetermined encipherment key to be enciphered data, and thepredetermined encipherment key which is in a state of plain-text (in astate where the encipherment key is not enciphered) is set and stored inthe storage medium 1. The enciphered data for information that is anobject of a read demand or a write demand, described later, includes theenciphered encipherment key obtained by enciphering the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key with the predetermined encipherment key.In the storage medium 1, a password, an identification number and a termof validity in terms of the storage medium 1 are set and stored inadvance.

If the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read out informationstored in the storage medium 1 from the writing apparatus 4, thesettling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6, the storage medium 1transmits the plain-text predetermined encipherment key and enciphereddata for information that is an object of the read demand to the writingapparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6. Thewriting apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus6 deciphers the enciphered data for the information that is an object ofthe read demand on the basis of the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key transmitted from the storage medium 1.

When the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6 deciphers the enciphered data for the information that is anobject of the read demand on the basis of the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key, the predetermined encipherment key which is in aplain-text and which is received along with the enciphered data iscompared with a predetermined encipherment key obtained by decipheringthe enciphered data to check the information that is an object of theread demand output from the storage medium 1.

When the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6 writes information into the storage medium 1, the writingapparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6 mayencipher the information that is an object of a write demand on thebasis of the plain-text predetermined encipherment key transmitted fromthe storage medium 1, and transmit it to the storage medium 1 to writeit thereinto. In the storage medium 1, the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key, which is set and stored in the storage medium 1, iscompared with a predetermined encipherment key, which is obtained bydeciphering the enciphered data for the information that is an object ofthe write demand, to check the information that is an object of thewrite demand transmitted from the writing apparatus 4, the settlingapparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6.

When the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read informationstored in the storage medium 1 from the writing apparatus 4, thesettling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6, the storage medium 1transmits an identification number and a term of validity along with theinformation that is an object of the read demand to the writingapparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6. Thewriting apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus6 may check correctness of the identification number and the term ofvalidity.

The writing apparatus 4 transmits and writes to the storage medium 1, asuse information, a passage time (i.e., time of passage) of the vehicle 3at the entrance toll adjusting gate of the vehicle 3 passing through theentrance toll adjusting gate. When the settling apparatus 5 for the exittoll adjusting gate adjusts a toll, the settling apparatus 5 acquiresthe passage time (i.e. time of passage) from the storage medium 1, andchecks a required travel time period (i.e. the amount of time thevehicle required to travel between the entrance and exit toll adjustinggates) based upon the passage time at the entrance toll gate to anarrival time at the exit toll adjusting gate of the vehicle.

If either one of the first toll payment system or the second tollpayment system is a toll pre-payment system, the system has a depositingapparatus 7 for the toll pre-payment system which performs a depositingprocess to deposit a pre-payment on the storage medium 1. The storagemedium 1 retains depositing information output from the depositingapparatus 7 and balance information. The balance information becomes anobject of a toll to be collected when the settling apparatus 5 for theexit toll adjusting gate or the settling apparatus 6 for theentrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the toll pre-payment systemautomatically adjusts the toll. When the storage medium 1 is inserted inthe depositing apparatus 7, the depositing apparatus 7 communicates atthe first predetermined frequency with the storage medium 1, and adds asum of money deposited this time (i.e. currently) to a balance includedin the balance information to obtain a new balance. The depositingapparatus 7 transmits the balance information, including the new balanceand the depositing information including the sum of the money depositedthis time, to the storage medium 1 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency to write them thereinto.

In the depositing process performed by the depositing apparatus 7, thedepositing apparatus 7 transmits to the storage medium 1, a passwordinput from the depositing apparatus 7 by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency. The storage medium 1 compares a password,which is set and stored in the storage medium 1, with the passwordtransmitted from the depositing apparatus 7 to check on a payerdepositing the money into the storage medium 1.

When the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read out informationstored in the storage medium 1 from the depositing apparatus 7, thestorage medium 1 transmits a plain-text predetermined encipherment keyand enciphered data for the information that is an object of the readdemand by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency. Thedepositing apparatus 7 deciphers the enciphered data for the informationthat is an object of the read demand with the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key transmitted from the storage medium 1.

When the depositing apparatus 7 deciphers the enciphered data for theinformation that is an object of the read demand with the predeterminedencipherment key, the depositing apparatus 7 may compare the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is received along with theenciphered data, with a predetermined encipherment key obtained bydeciphering the enciphered data to check the information that is anobject of the read demand issued from the storage medium 1.

If information is written in the storage medium 1 from the depositingapparatus 7, the depositing apparatus 7 enciphers the information thatis an object of the write demand with the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key transmitted from the storage medium 1 and writes theenciphered data onto the storage medium 1. On this occasion, the storagemedium 1 compares a plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isset and stored in the storage medium 1, with a predeterminedencipherment key obtained by deciphering the enciphered data for theinformation that is an object of the write demand with the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key to check the information that is anobject of the write demand transmitted from the depositing apparatus 7.

When the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read informationstored in the storage medium 1 from the depositing apparatus 7, it ispossible that the storage medium 1 transmits by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency an identification number and a term ofvalidity along with the information that is an object of the read demandto the depositing apparatus 7.

The depositing apparatus 7 then checks the identification number and theterm of validity.

It is also possible that a maximum amount of deposit money and a maximumbalance are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1. In adepositing process by the depositing apparatus 7, the depositingapparatus 7 acquires the maximum amount of deposit money and the maximumbalance along with the balance information from the storage medium 1 andchecks the maximum amount of deposit money and the maximum balance.

It is possible that the system includes a totaling apparatus fortotaling a) the accumulation of the deposited money which is written asthe deposit money information into each storage medium 1 by thedepositing apparatus 7 and b) the accumulation of collected tolls whichis transmitted to each storage medium 1 from the toll adjusting gate inthe toll pre-payment system. The totaling apparatus manages a total sumthat is a balance of these accumulations.

The system further includes an inquiring apparatus 8 for inquiring aboutinformation stored in the storage medium 1. When the storage medium 1 isinserted in the inquiring apparatus 8, the inquiring apparatus 8 obtainsinformation stored in the storage medium by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency with the storage medium 1, and outputsthis information.

The inquiring apparatus 8 may obtains not only designated informationfrom the storage medium 1 and outputs the designated information, butalso obtains a history of the designated information from the storagemedium 1 to output the history of the designated information.

When the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read informationstored in the storage medium 1 from the inquiring apparatus 8, thestorage medium 1 transmits an identification number along with theinformation that is an object of the read demand to the inquiringapparatus 8 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.The inquiring apparatus 8 may check correctness of the identificationnumber.

When the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read informationstored in the storage medium from the inquiring apparatus 8, the storagemedium 1 transmits a predetermined encipherment key, which is in aplain-text, and enciphered data for the information that is an object ofthe read demand to the inquiring apparatus 8 by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency. The inquiring apparatus 8 deciphersthe enciphered data for the information that is an object of the readdemand with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key which istransmitted from the storage medium 1.

At the exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll pre-payment system asthe first or the second payment system, the settling apparatus 5 at thisexit toll adjusting gate exchanges information with the storage medium 1on the vehicle 3 to obtain use information including unique informationabout an entrance toll adjusting gate through which the vehicle 3 haspassed and the balance information in addition to a result ofrecognition about a vehicle type of the vehicle 3. The settlingapparatus 5 calculates a toll to be collected on the basis of the useinformation and the result of the recognition, and subtracts the toll tobe collected from a balance included in the balance information. Thesetting apparatus 5 then transmits a) the balance information includinga new balance which is a result of the subtraction and b) adjustmentresult information including the calculated toll and payment distinctionindicating the pre-payment system to the storage medium 1 to write themtherein.

At the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll pre-paymentsystem as the first or the second toll payment system, the settlingapparatus 6 at this entrance/exit toll adjusting gate exchangesinformation with the storage medium 1 on the vehicle 3 to acquire thebalance information and a recognition result about a vehicle type of thevehicle 3. The setting apparatus 6 calculates a toll to be collected onthe basis of the recognition result, subtracts the toll to be collectedfrom a balance included in the balance information, and transmits a) thebalance information including a new balance which is a result of thesubtraction and b) the adjustment result information including paymentdistinction showing the collected toll and payment distinctionindicating the pre-payment system to the storage medium 1 to write themthereinto.

When the storage medium 1 is inserted in the frequency convertingapparatus 2, the frequency converting apparatus 2 transmits a passwordinput through the frequency converting apparatus 2 to the storage medium1 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency. Thestorage medium 1 compares a password, which is set and stored in thestorage medium 1, with the password transmitted from the frequencyconverting apparatus 2 to check on a user of the storage medium 1.

At the exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll post-payment systemas the first or the second toll payment system, the exit toll adjustinggate has a vehicle type recognizing apparatus which can automaticallyrecognize a type of vehicle 3 passing through this exit toll adjustinggate. The settling apparatus 5 at the exit toll adjusting gate exchangesinformation with the storage medium 1 to obtain the personal informationand the use information including the unique information about anentrance toll adjusting gate through which the vehicle 3 has passed andin addition obtains a result of recognition of the type of vehicle 3from the vehicle type recognizing apparatus. The setting apparatus 5calculates a toll to be collected on the basis of the use informationand the recognition result, and transmits the adjustment resultinformation including the toll to be collected and payment distinctionshowing that this is the toll post-payment system to the storage medium1 to write it as the use information thereinto.

The entrance/exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll post-paymentsystem as the first or the second payment system includes a vehicle typerecognizing apparatus which can automatically recognize a type ofvehicle 3 passing through this entrance/exit toll adjusting gate. Thesettling apparatus 6 at the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate exchangesinformation with the storage medium 1 on the vehicle 3 to acquire thepersonal information and in addition obtains a result of the recognitionof the type of vehicle 3 from the vehicle type recognizing apparatus.The setting apparatus 6 calculates a toll to be collected on the basisof the recognition result, and transmits a) the adjustment resultinformation, including the toll to be collected, and b) paymentdistinction showing that this is the toll post-payment system to thestorage medium 1 to write it as the use information thereinto.

If the toll post-payment is employed, a host computer, managing thesettling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6, withdraws the chargedtoll calculated by the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6from a bank account specified in the personal information acquired bythe settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6.

The exit toll adjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gateemploying the toll post-payment system is divided into three zones whichare 1) a vehicle type recognizing zone for recognizing a type of vehicle3 by the vehicle recognizing apparatus, 2) a toll settling zone forautomatically adjusting a toll by the settling apparatus 5 or thesettling apparatus 6, and 3) and an image zone for photographing animproper or invalid vehicle by a photographing apparatus.

In each of the zones, information is exchanged with the storage medium 1about a vehicle passing through to acquire the personal information fromthe storage medium 1. A result of the recognition of the vehicle type, aresult of the adjustment and a result of the photographing obtained inthe respective three zones are correlated to a specific vehicle on thebasis of the obtained personal information.

It is possible to provide a sensor for detecting passage of the vehicle3 in each of the zones. When the sensors detect passage of the vehicle3, the personal information is acquired from the storage medium 1 on thevehicle 3 in each of the zones, and processing in each of the zones isperformed.

The entrance toll adjusting gate employing the toll post-payment systemas the first or the second toll payment system is divided into two zoneswhich are 1) a passage recognizing zone for writing the use informationincluding the unique information about the entrance toll adjusting gateas the adjustment information into the storage medium 1 on the vehicle 3passing through the entrance toll adjusting gate by the writingapparatus 4 and 2) an image zone for photographing an improper orinvalid vehicle by a photographing apparatus.

It is possible to provide sensors for detecting passage of the vehicle 3in the respective two zones. If the sensors detect passage of thevehicle 3, processing in each of the zones is performed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another aspect of this invention(i.e., a storage medium having a radio communication function for theautomatic toll adjusting system). A storage medium 1 having the radiocommunication function shown in FIG. 2 is possessed by each of the usersand is to be used in the automatic toll adjusting system which wasdescribed above with reference to FIG. 1. The storage medium 1 has astoring means 1A, a receiving means 1B, a processing means 1C and atransmitting means 1D.

The storing means 1A stores the adjustment information necessary fortoll adjustment therein. The receiving means 1B receives informationfrom the outside by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency.

The processing means 1C reads information stored in the storing means 1Aor writes information into the storing means 1A on the basis ofinformation received by the receiving means 1B. The transmitting means1D transmits responsive information including information output fromthe storing means 1A by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency.

At the toll adjusting gate employing the first toll payment system,information is directly exchanged between the receiving means 1B and thetransmitting means 1D of the storage medium 1 and a writing apparatus(refer to numeral 4 in FIG. 1) or the settling apparatus (refer toreference numerals 5 and 6 in FIG. 1) for automatic toll adjustment byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency.

On the other hand, at the toll adjusting gate employing the second tollpayment system, under a condition where the storage medium 1 is insertedin the frequency converting apparatus 2 (which converts information atthe first predetermined frequency into the second predeterminedfrequency, and which converts information at the second predeterminedfrequency into the first predetermined frequency), information isindirectly exchanged between the receiving means 1B and the transmittingmeans 1D of the storage medium 1 and the writing apparatus or thesettling apparatus for automatic toll adjustment at the toll adjustinggate via the frequency converting apparatus 2 by radio communication atthe second predetermined frequency.

The storing means 1A retains a) information which is in a state ofenciphered data which is obtained by enciphering the information with apredetermined encipherment key from the outside and b) the predeterminedencipherment key in a state of plain-text. The storing means also setsand stores a password therein in advance.

When receiving a read demand from the outside through the receivingmeans 1B, the processing means 3C reads out a) enciphered data for theinformation that is an object of the read demand and b) a plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, and transmits them through thetransmitting means 1D.

The storage medium 1 further includes a) a deciphering means fordeciphering an encipherment key that was used to encipher the enciphereddata and is included in the enciphered data for information that is anobject of a write demand on the basis of the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key which is stored in the storing means 1A when thestorage medium 1 receives the write demand transmitted from the outsidecorresponding to transmission of the information that is an object ofthe read demand by a receiving means 1B, and b) an encipherment keycheck means for comparing 1) the encipherment key which is deciphered bythe deciphering means and 2) the plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey which is stored in the storing means 1A to check the informationthat is an object of the write demand.

The storage medium 1 may further include a password check means. Whenthe storage medium 1 receives a read demand accompanied by a passwordthrough the receiving means 1B during a depositing process for tollpre-payment, the password check means compares the password accompanyingthe read demand with the password stored in the storing means 1A tocheck on a payer. The storage medium 1 may still further include asecond password check means. When the storage medium 1 receives apassword input through the frequency converting apparatus 2 wheninserted into the frequency converting apparatus 2, this second passwordcheck means compares the received password with a password stored in thestoring means 1A to check on a user (i.e., user and payer may be thesame or may be different).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another aspect of this invention(i.e., a frequency converting apparatus for the automatic toll adjustingsystem). A frequency converting apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 3 is used inthe automatic toll adjusting system, which was described above withreference to FIG. 1.

The frequency converting apparatus 2 has the storage medium 1 having theradio communication function (which is possessed by each user, andstores the adjustment information necessary for toll adjustment andexchanges information with the outside by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency) inserted therein, when the user passesthrough a toll adjusting gate.

The frequency converting apparatus 2 has a first communicating means 2Aand a second communicating means 2B.

The first communicating means 2A exchanges information with the storagemedium 1 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequencywhen the storage medium 1 is inserted in the frequency convertingapparatus 2. The second communicating means 2B exchanges informationwith the outside by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency. When the storage medium 1 is inserted in the frequencyconverting apparatus 2, the first communication means 2A transmitsinformation, received from the outside by the second communication means2B, to the storage medium 1 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency, while the second communicating means 2Btransmits information, received from the storage medium 1 by the firstcommunicating means, to the outside by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

At the toll adjusting gate, information is exchanged between a) thewriting apparatus (refer to reference numeral 4 in FIG. 1) or thesettling apparatus (refer to reference numerals 5 and 6 in FIG. 1) forautomatic toll adjustment at the toll gate and b) the storage medium 1via the first communication means 2A and the second communicating means2B of the frequency converting apparatus 2 under a condition where thestorage medium 1 is inserted in the frequency converting apparatus 2.

If a password is set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1having the radio communication function, the frequency convertingapparatus 2 may have an inputting means for inputting the password tocheck on a user of the storage medium 1 when the storage medium 1 isinserted therein, and to transmit the password output through theinputting means to the storage medium 1 through the first communicatingmeans 2A by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing still another aspect of this invention(i.e., a writing apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system). Awriting apparatus 4 shown in FIG. 4 is used in the automatic tolladjusting system which was described above with reference to FIG. 1 forwriting the use information, which is necessary for automatic tolladjustment, as the adjustment information in the storage medium 1 havingthe radio communication function.

The writing apparatus 4 has a communicating means 4A and a demandissuing means 4B.

At the entrance toll adjusting gate employing the first toll paymentsystem, the communicating means 4A exchanges information with thestorage medium 1 having the radio communication function by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency. At the entrance tolladjusting gate employing the second toll payment system, the radiocommunicating means 4A exchanges information with the storage medium 1having the radio communication function by radio communication at thesecond predetermined frequency.

The demand issuing means 4B issues a write demand including the uniqueinformation about an entrance toll adjusting gate to the storage medium1 passing through the entrance toll adjusting gate through thecommunicating means 4A. A passage time (i.e., a time at which thevehicle passed through the entrance toll adjusting gate) may be includedin the use information along with the unique information about theentrance toll adjusting gate.

If an identification number and a term of validity of the storage medium1 is set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1 having the radiocommunication function, the writing apparatus 4 may include a checkmeans to perform a check on the identification number and the term ofvalidity. In this case, when the user with the storage medium 1 passesthrough the entrance toll adjusting gate, the demand issuing means 4Bissues a read demand to the storage medium 1 to read an identificationnumber and a term of validity for the storage medium 1 on the vehiclethrough the communicating means 4A prior to issuing a write demand towrite the use information. When the communicating means 4A receives theidentification number and the term of validity from the storage medium 1in response to the read demand, this check means performs a check on thereceived identification number and the term of validity.

If the information stored in the storage medium 1 is enciphered datahaving been enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key and thestorage medium 1 retains the predetermined encipherment key asplain-text, the writing apparatus 4 has a deciphering means fordeciphering the enciphered data. In this case, the communicating means4A receives the enciphered data for an identification number and a termof validity and the plain-text predetermined encipherment key from thestorage medium 1 in response to a read demand issued from the demandissuing means 4B. The deciphering means deciphers the enciphered datafor the identification number and the term of validity with theplain-text predetermined encipherment key.

If the enciphered data for the identification number and the term ofvalidity includes an enciphered encipherment key which is obtained byenciphering the plain-text predetermined encipherment key with thepredetermined encipherment key, the writing apparatus 4 may have anencipherment key check means. The encipherment key check means comparesthe plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is provided alongwith the enciphered data, with a predetermined encipherment key which isobtained by deciphering the enciphered data by the deciphering means tocheck the information that is an object of the read demand.

If the information stored in the storage medium 1 is enciphered datawhich is enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key, the writingapparatus 4 has an enciphering means for enciphering the use informationwhich is an object of a write demand issued for the demand issuing meansto write it into the storage medium 1 with a plain-text predeterminedencipherment key which is received along with the enciphered data. Theenciphering means enciphers the plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey, which is used for enciphering, with the predetermined enciphermentkey on the basis of the predetermined encipherment key. This encipheredpredetermined encipherment key may be included in the enciphered datafor the information that is an object of the write demand to write itinto the storage medium 1.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing still another aspect of this invention(i.e., a settling apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system).The settling apparatus 5 (6) shown in FIG. 5 is used in the automatictoll adjusting system which was described above with reference toFIG. 1. The settling apparatus 5 (6) is installed at a toll adjustinggate to acquire or to obtain the adjustment information from the storagemedium 1 having the radio communication function and automaticallyadjusts a toll to be charged to a holder of the storage medium 1 on thebasis of the adjustment information.

The settling apparatus 5 (6) has a communicating means 5A, a demandissuing means 5B and a toll adjusting means 5C.

The communicating means 5A exchanges information with the storage medium1 having the radio communication function by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency at a toll adjusting gate employing thefirst toll payment system. The communicating means 5A exchangesinformation with the storage medium 1 by radio communication at thesecond predetermined frequency at a toll adjusting gate employing thesecond toll payment system.

The demand issuing means 5B issues a) a read demand to read adjustmentinformation or b) a write demand to write adjustment result informationonto the storage medium 1 through the communicating means 5A. The tolladjusting means 5C automatically adjusts a toll to be charged to aholder of the storage medium 1 on the basis of the adjustmentinformation which is transmitted from the storage medium 1 in responseto the read demand which is issued from the demand issuing means 5B andreceived through the communicating means 5A.

When the user with the storage medium 1 passes through the exit tolladjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate, the demandissuing means 5B issues a read demand to a storage medium 1 and vehicleto read the adjustment information through the communicating means 5A.When the communicating means 5A receives the adjustment information fromthe storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, the adjusting means5C automatically adjusts a toll to be charged to the holder of thestorage medium 1 on the basis of the received adjustment information.

The demand issuing mean 5B then issues a write demand to the storagemedium 1 to write the adjustment result information including thecollected toll adjusted by the toll adjusting means 5C and paymentdistinction showing whether this payment system is the first tollpayment system or the second toll payment system to the storage medium 1through the communicating means 5A.

If an identification number and a term of validity of the storage medium1 having the radio communication function are set and stored in advancein the storage medium 1, the settling apparatus 5 (6) may have a checkmeans to perform a check on the identification number and the term ofvalidity. In this case, the demand issuing means 5B issues a read demandto read the identification number and the term of validity from thestorage medium 1 through the communicating means 5A when a settlingprocess is initiated. When the communicating means 5A receives theidentification number and the term of validity from the storage medium 1in response to the read demand, the check means performs a check on thereceived identification number and the term of validity.

If the information stored in the storage medium 1 is enciphered datahaving been enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key and thestorage medium 1 retains the predetermined encipherment key asplain-text, the settling apparatus 5 (6) has a deciphering means todecipher the enciphered data. In this case, the communicating means 5Areceives the enciphered data for information that is an object of theread demand and the plain-text predetermined encipherment key from thestorage medium 1 in response to the read demand issued from the demandissuing means 5B. The deciphering means deciphers the enciphered datafor the identification number and the term of validity with theplain-text predetermined encipherment key.

On this occasion, if the enciphered data which is the information thatis an object of the read demand includes an enciphered encipherment keyobtained by enciphering the plain-text predetermined encipherment keywith the predetermined encipherment key, the settling apparatus 5 (6)may has an encipherment key check means. The encipherment check meanscompares the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isreceived along with the enciphered data, with a predeterminedencipherment key which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered data bythe deciphering means to check the information that is an object of theread demand.

If the information stored in the storage medium 1 is enciphered datahaving been enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key, thesettling apparatus 5 (6) may have an enciphering means for encipheringthe toll adjustment result information, which is an object of a writedemand issued from the demand issuing means 5B, and is to be written inthe storage medium 1 with the plain-text predetermined encipherment keywhich is received with the enciphered data. The enciphering meansenciphers the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is usedfor enciphering, with the predetermined encipherment key. The encipheredpredetermined encipherment key may be included in the enciphered datafor the information that is an object of a write demand to write theinformation in the storage medium 1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing still another aspect of this invention(i.e., a depositing apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system).The depositing apparatus 7 shown in FIG. 6 is used in the automatic tolladjusting system which was described above with reference to FIG. 1,which performs a depositing process for toll pre-payment on the storagemedium 1 having the radio communication function. The storage mediumretains the balance information therein that is an object of a chargedtoll upon automatic toll adjustment at a toll adjusting gate in the tollpre-payment system.

The depositing apparatus 7 has a communicating means 7A, a depositingmeans 7B and a demand issuing means 7C.

The communicating means 7A directly exchanges information with thestorage medium 1 having the radio communication function by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency. The depositing means7B performs a depositing process on the storage medium 1 having theradio communication function.

The demand issuing means 7C issues a read demand to the storage medium 1through the communicating means 7A, or a write demand to writedepositing information and new balance information resulted from thedepositing process performed by the depositing means 7B.

When the depositing apparatus 7 performs the depositing process on thestorage medium 1, the demand issuing means 7C issues a read demandthrough the communicating means 7A to the storage medium 1. When thecommunicating means 7A receives the balance information from the storagemedium 1 in response to the read demand, the depositing means 7B adds asum of money deposited this time (i.e., currently deposited) to abalance included in the received balance information to calculate a newbalance.

The demand issuing means 7C then issues a write demand to write thebalance information, including the new balance calculated by thedepositing means 7B, and the depositing information, including the sumof money deposited this time, to the storage medium 1 through thecommunicating means 7A.

If a password of the storage medium 1 is set and stored in advance inthe storage medium 1, the depositing apparatus 7 may have an inputtingmeans for inputting the password to check on a user of the storagemedium 1 when the storage medium 1 is inserted therein, and to transmitthe password input through the input means to the storage medium 1through the communicating means 7A by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency.

If an identification number and a term of validity of the storage medium1 are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1, the depositingapparatus 7 may have a check means for performing a check on theidentification number and the term of validity. In this case, the demandissuing means 7C issues a read demand to read the identification numberand the term of validity to the storage medium 1 through thecommunicating means 7A when the depositing process is initiated. Whenthe communicating means 7A receives the identification number and theterm of validity from the storage medium 1 in response to the readdemand, the check means performs a check on the received identificationnumber and the term of validity.

If a maximum amount of deposit money and a maximum balance for thestorage medium 1 are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1,the depositing apparatus 7 may have a depositing money check means forchecking the depositing process by the depositing means 7B. In thiscase, the demand issuing means 7C issues a read demand to read themaximum amount of deposit money and the maximum balance from the storagemedium 1 through the communicating means 7A when the depositing processis initiated. When the communicating means 7A receives the maximumamount of deposit money and the maximum balance from the storage medium1 in response to the read demand, the depositing money check meanschecks the depositing process performed by the depositing means 7B onthe basis of the received maximum amount of deposit money and themaximum balance.

Further, if information in the storage medium 1 is enciphered datahaving been enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key and thestorage medium 1 retains the predetermined encipherment key asplain-text therein, the depositing apparatus 7 includes a decipheringmeans for deciphering the enciphered data. In this case, thecommunicating means 7A receives the enciphered data, for informationthat is an object of the read demand, and the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key which is transmitted from the storage medium 1 inresponse to the read demand from the demand issuing means 7C. Thedeciphering means deciphers the enciphered data for the information thatis an object of the read demand with the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key.

On this occasion, if the enciphered data includes an encipheredpredetermined encipherment key, which is obtained by enciphering theplain-text predetermined encipherment key with the predeterminedencipherment key, the depositing apparatus 7 may have an enciphermentkey check means. The encipherment key check means compares theplain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is received with theenciphered data, with the predetermined encipherment key, which isobtained by deciphering the enciphered data by the deciphering means, tocheck the information that is an object of the read demand.

If the information stored in the storage medium 1 is enciphered datahaving been enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key, thedepositing apparatus 7 has an enciphering means for enciphering thedepositing information and the balance information, that are an objectof a write demand issued from the demand issuing means 7C to write theinformation into the storage medium 1, with the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key which is received with the enciphered data. Theenciphering means enciphers the plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey, which is used for enciphering, with the predetermined enciphermentkey. The enciphered predetermined encipherment key may be included inthe enciphered data of the information that is an object of a writedemand to write it into the storage medium 1.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing still another aspect of this invention(i.e., an inquiring apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system).The inquiring apparatus 8 shown in FIG. 7 is used in the automatic tolladjusting system which was described above with reference to FIG. 1,which inquires about information stored in the storage medium 1 havingthe radio communication function.

The inquiring apparatus 8 has a communicating means 8A, a demand issuingmeans 8B and an expressing or outputting means 8C.

The communicating means 8A directly exchanges information with thestorage medium 1 having the radio communication function by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency. The demand issuingapparatus 8B issues a read demand to read information stored in thestorage medium 1 through the communicating means 8A to the storagemedium 1 having the radio communication function. The expressing oroutputting means 8C clearly outputs the information transmitted from thestorage medium 1 in response to the read demand issued from the demandissuing means 8B and received by the receiving means 8A.

If an identification number of the storage medium 1 is set and stored inadvance in the storage medium 1, the inquiring apparatus 8 may have acheck means for performing a check on the identification number. In thiscase, the demand issuing means 8B issues a read demand to read theidentification number from the storage medium 1 through thecommunicating means 8A when an inquiring process is initiated. When thecommunicating means 8A receives the identification number transmittedfrom the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, the checkmeans performs a check on the received identification number.

If information stored in the storage medium 1 is enciphered data havingbeen enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key and the storagemedium 1 retains the predetermined encipherment key as plain-texttherein, the inquiring apparatus 8 has a deciphering means fordeciphering the enciphered data. In this case, the communicating means8A receives the enciphered data, for the information that is an objectof a read demand issued from the demand issuing means 8B which istransmitted from the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand,and the plain-text predetermined encipherment key. The deciphering meansdeciphers the enciphered data for the information that is an object ofthe read demand with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key.

In the automatic toll adjusting system according to this invention shownin FIG. 1, at the toll adjusting gate employing the first toll paymentsystem, information is directly exchanged with the storage medium 1 byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency toautomatically adjust a toll in the first toll payment system. On theother hand, at the toll adjusting gate employing the second toll paymentsystem, the storage medium 1 is inserted in the frequency convertingapparatus 2, and information is exchanged indirectly with the storagemedium 1 via the frequency converting apparatus 2 by radio communicationat the second predetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll inthe second toll payment system.

In other words, by selecting either the direct radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency with the storage medium 1 or theindirect radio communication at the second predetermined frequency withthe storage medium 1 via the frequency converting apparatus 2 under acondition where the storage medium 1 is inserted in the frequencyconverting apparatus 2, it is possible for the user to voluntarilyselect the first or the second toll payment system.

On a toll road where a toll according to a trip distance is collected,the writing apparatus 4 for the entrance toll adjusting gate writes theuse information, including the unique information about the entrancetoll adjusting gate as the adjustment information, into the storagemedium 1 on the vehicle 3 passing through the toll adjusting gate byradio communication. The use information is directly written at thefirst predetermined frequency when the user selects the first tollpayment system, or indirectly written via the frequency convertingapparatus 2 at the second predetermined frequency when the user selectsthe second toll payment system. The settling apparatus 5 for the exittoll adjusting gate acquires the adjustment information from the storagemedium 1 directly by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when the user selects the first toll payment system, orindirectly via the frequency converting apparatus 2 by radiocommunication at the second predetermined frequency when the userselects the second toll payment system to automatically adjust a tollfor the toll road charged to the holder of the storage medium 1 based onthe adjustment information.

On a toll road where a toll irrespective of a trip distance iscollected, the settling apparatus 6 for the entrance/exit toll adjustinggate acquires the adjustment information from the storage medium 1directly by radio communication at the first predetermined frequencywhen the user selects the first payment system, or indirectly via thefrequency converting apparatus 2 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency when the user selects the second toll paymentsystem to automatically adjust a toll charged to the holder of thestorage medium 1 based on the adjustment information.

Upon automatic toll adjustment, the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6 transmits adjustment result information, including a toll tobe collected and payment distinction showing whether this toll paymentis in the first payment system or in the second payment system, to thestorage medium 1 directly by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency when the user selects the toll pre-payment, orindirectly via the frequency converting apparatus 2 by radiocommunication at the second predetermined frequency when the userselects the toll post-payment. The setting apparatus 5 or 6 writes theadjustment result information as the use information into the storagemedium 1. Accordingly, the storage medium 1 can retain and manage theadjustment result information (the use information) therein.

In the system of this invention, information written in the storagemedium 1 is enciphered data for security reasons. A predeterminedencipherment key, used to encipher the data, is set and stored asplain-text in the storage medium 1. In addition, a password, anidentification number and a term of validity of the storage medium 1 areset and stored in advance in the storage medium 1. Further, information(enciphered data) exchanged with the storage medium 1 by radiocommunication includes an enciphered encipherment key which is obtainedby enciphering the plain-text predetermined encipherment key with thepredetermined encipherment key.

When the storage medium 1 receives a read demand to read informationstored in the storage medium 1 from the writing apparatus 4, thesettling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6, the storage medium 1transmits the predetermined plain-text encipherment key and enciphereddata which is the information that is an object of the read demand tothe writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6. The writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or thesettling apparatus 6 deciphers the enciphered data, which is theinformation that is an object of the read demand, with the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key from the storage medium 1, whereby it ispossible to prevent the information from being wrongfully interceptedwhen the information is transmitted from the storage medium 1 to thewriting apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus6.

When the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6 deciphers the enciphered data, the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key, which is received with the enciphered data, isdeciphered with a predetermined encipherment key which is obtained bydeciphering the enciphered data. The apparatuses 4, 5 or 6 thus checkthe information that is an object of a read demand transmitted from thestorage medium 1. If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act such asfalsification has been done on the data stored in the storage medium 1,it is possible to verify such data.

When the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6 writes information into the storage medium 1, theinformation that is an object of a write demand is enciphered, in thewriting apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus6 with a plain-text predetermined encipherment key output from thestorage medium 1, and the enciphered data is transmitted to and writtenin the storage medium 1, whereby it is possible to prevent theinformation from being wrongfully intercepted when the information istransmitted from the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 orthe settling apparatus 6 to the storage medium 1.

When the storage medium 1 receives the enciphered data that is an objectof the write demand issued from the writing apparatus 4, the settlingapparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6, the storage medium 1 compares aplain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is set and stored inadvance in the storage medium 1, with a predetermined encipherment key,which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered data that is an objectof the write demand with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key,to check the information that is an object of the write demand which istransmitted from the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 orthe settling apparatus 6. If any fraudulent, invalid or improper actsuch as falsification has been done on the data to be written in thestorage medium 1, it is possible to verify such data.

When the storage medium 1 transmits the information demanded by thewriting apparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus6, the storage medium 1 transmits an identification number and a term ofthe validity along with the information to the writing apparatus 4, thesettling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6. The writing apparatus4, the settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6 checks theidentification number and the term of validity, whereby it is possibleto confirm the validity of the storage medium 1, and to avoidfraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storage medium 1.

On a toll road where a toll according to a trip distance is collected,the writing apparatus 4 transmits a passage time (i.e. time of passage)through the entrance toll adjusting gate to the storage medium 1 on thevehicle 3 passing through the entrance toll adjusting gate and writesthe passage time as the use information into the storage medium 1.Therefore, when a toll is automatically adjusted by the settlingapparatus 5 for the exit toll adjusting gate, the settling apparatus 5may acquire the passage time from the storage medium 1 to perform acheck on a required time (i.e. the time which was required by thevehicle to travel between the entrance and exit toll adjusting gates)from a) the passage time at the entrance toll adjusting gate to b) anarrival time at the exit toll adjusting gate. If the user has done anyfraudulent, invalid or improper act during use of the toll road, it ispossible to verify such an act by determining a time period necessaryfor the user to travel on the toll road and to perform such a check.

If either the first toll payment system or the second toll paymentsystem is the toll pre-payment system, a depositing process, for tollpre-payment, on the storage medium 1 can be performed using thedepositing apparatus 7 for the toll pre-payment. Namely, the storagemedium 1 retains therein the depositing money information, which isoutput from the depositing apparatus 7, and the balance information,which is an object of toll collection, in the event of automatic tolladjustment at the toll adjusting gate in the toll pre-payment system.For the depositing process, the storage medium 1 is inserted into thedepositing apparatus 7. The depositing apparatus 7 acquires the balanceinformation from the storage medium 1 by direct radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency with the storage medium 1, adds a sumof money currently deposited to a balance included in the balanceinformation, directly transmits the balance information including a newbalance obtained by addition of the sum of money, and the depositinginformation, including the sum of money deposited this time, to thestorage medium 1 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency to write the balance information and the depositinginformation in the storage medium 1. Thus, the depositing processperformed on the storage medium 1 is completed.

During the depositing process by the depositing apparatus 7, a passwordinput through the depositing apparatus 7 is directly transmitted to thestorage medium 1 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency, compared in the storage medium 1 with a password set andstored in the storage medium 1 to check on a payer to the storage medium1, thereby verifying whether the payer is the owner of the storagemedium.

When the storage medium 1 transmits information demanded by thedepositing apparatus 7, a plain-text predetermined enchiperment key isdirectly transmitted along with enciphered data for the information tothe depositing apparatus 7 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. The depositing apparatus 7 deciphers theenciphered data, which is the information that is an object of the readdemand, with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key which istransmitted from the storage medium 1, thereby preventing theinformation from being wrongfully intercepted when the information istransmitted from the storage medium 1 to the depositing apparatus 7.

When the depositing apparatus 7 deciphers the enciphered data, thepredetermined plain-text encipherment key, which is received with theenciphered data, is compared with a predetermined encipherment key,which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered data, to check theinformation that is an object of the read demand transmitted from thestorage medium 1. It is, therefore, possible, if any fraudulent,improper or invalid act such as falsification has been done on the datastored in the storage medium 1, to verify such data.

When information is written into the storage medium 1 from thedepositing apparatus 7, the depositing apparatus 7 enciphersinformation, that is an object of the write demand, with the plain-textpredetermined enchiperment key which is transmitted from the storagemedium 1. This enciphered data is directly transmitted to the storagemedium 1 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency tobe written in the storage medium 1. It is, therefore, possible toprevent the information from being fraudulently intercepted when theinformation is transmitted from the depositing apparatus 7 to thestorage medium 1.

When the storage medium 1 receives the enciphered data, that is anobject of the write demand transmitted from the depositing apparatus 7,the storage medium 1 compares the plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey, which is set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1, with apredetermined encipherment key which is obtained by deciphering theenciphered data of the information that is an object of the write demandwith the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, to check theinformation that is an object of the write demand transmitted from thedepositing apparatus 7. Accordingly, if any fraudulent, invalid orimproper act such as falsification as been done on the data to bewritten into the storage medium 1, it is possible to verify such data.

When the storage medium 1 transmits information demanded by thedepositing apparatus 7 to the depositing apparatus 7, the storage medium1 directly transmits an identification number and a term of validityalong with the information to the depositing apparatus 7 by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency. The depositingapparatus 7 checks the identification number and the term of validity.Accordingly, it is possible to confirm correctness of the storage medium1, and to avoid a fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storagemedium 1.

During the depositing process by the depositing apparatus 7, thedepositing apparatus 7 acquires a maximum amount of deposit money and amaximum balance along with the balance information from the storagemedium 1 to perform a check on the maximum amount of deposit money andthe maximum balance. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent depositmoney which exceeds the maximum amount of deposit money or a balancefrom exceeding the maximum balance in the depositing process.

A totaling apparatus totals accumulation of sums of depositing money andaccumulation of collected tolls for each storage medium 1 to manage atotal sum that is a balance of these accumulation. Accordingly, if a sumof payment to the storage medium 1 has been fraudulently, improperly orinvalidly operated, it is possible to verify such a fraudulent, invalidor improper operation.

It is possible that the inquiring apparatus 8 and the storage medium 1communicate directly with each other by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency by inserting the storage medium 1 into theinquiring apparatus 8 so that inquiring apparatus 8 may outputinformation retained (i.e., stored) in the storage medium 1, so that theowner or user of the storage medium can understand and manage theinformation in the storage medium 1. On this occasion, the inquiringapparatus 8 can output not only designated information but also ahistory of the designated information so that a use history or the likecan also be understood and managed by the user thereof.

When the storage medium 1 transmits information, which is demanded bythe inquiring apparatus 8, to the inquiring apparatus 8, the storagemedium 1 directly transmits an identification number along with theinformation to the inquiring apparatus 8 by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency. The inquiring apparatus 8 checks theidentification number to confirm correctness of the storage medium 1 sothat it is possible to avoid a fraudulent, improper or invalid use ofthe storage medium 1.

When the storage medium 1 transmits information, which is demanded bythe inquiring apparatus 8, to the inquiring apparatus 8, the storagemedium 1 directly transmits a plain-text predetermined encipherment keyalong with enciphered data for the information to the inquiringapparatus 8 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.The inquiring apparatus 8 deciphers the enciphered data, which is theinformation that is an object of the read demand, with the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key transmitted from the storage medium 1. Inconsequence, it is possible to prevent the information from beingfraudulently or wrongfully intercepted when the information istransmitted from the storage medium 1 to the inquiring apparatus 8.

At the exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll pre-payment system asthe first or the second toll payment system, information is exchangedbetween the settling apparatus 5 and the storage medium 1 toautomatically adjust a toll by the settling apparatus 5. Morespecifically, the settling apparatus 5 acquires the unique information(the use information) about the entrance toll adjusting gate throughwhich the vehicle 3 has passed and the balance information from thestorage medium 1 along with a result of recognition of a type of vehicle3, and calculates a toll to be collected on the basis of the useinformation and the recognition result. The settling apparatus 5transmits the adjustment information, including a new balance aftersubtracting the charged toll (the balance information), a charged toll,and payment distinction (pre-payment) to the storage medium 1 to writethem into the storage medium 1. Thus, a sequence of automatic tolladjustments in the toll pre-payment system by the settling apparatus 5is completed.

At the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll pre-paymentsystem as the first or the second toll payment system, information isexchanged between the settling apparatus 6 and the storage medium 1 inorder to automatically adjust a toll by the settling apparatus 6.Namely, the settling apparatus 6 acquires the balance information fromthe storage medium 1 in addition to a result of recognition of a type ofvehicle 3, and calculates a toll to be collected based on therecognition result. The settling apparatus 6 transmits the adjustmentresult information, including a new balance (the balance information)after subtracting the charged toll, the charged toll and distinction ofpayment (pre-payment) to the storage medium 1 and write them in thestorage medium 1. Thus, a sequence of automatic toll adjustments by thesettling apparatus 6 is completed.

When the storage medium 1 is inserted into the frequency convertingapparatus 2 so as to select the toll post-payment system, a passwordinput through the frequency converting apparatus 2 is directlytransmitted to the storage medium 1 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. The storage medium 1 then compares the inputpassword with a password which is set and stored in the storage medium 1to check a user of the storage medium 1, thereby verifying whether theuser is the owner himself or herself.

At the exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll post-payment systemas the first or the second toll payment system, information is exchangedbetween the settling apparatus 5 and the storage medium 1 toautomatically adjust a toll by the settling apparatus 5. Morespecifically, the settling apparatus 5 acquires the personal information(the adjustment information) and the unique information about theentrance toll adjusting gate through which the vehicle 3 has passed inaddition to acquiring a result of recognition of a type of vehicle 3 bythe vehicle type recognizing apparatus. The setting apparatus 5calculates a toll to be collected on the basis of the use informationand the recognition result. The settling apparatus 5 then transmits theadjustment result information including a charged toll so calculated anddistinction of payment (post-payment) to the storage medium 1 to writethem in the storage medium 1. Thus, a sequence of automatic tolladjustments in the toll post-payment system by the settling apparatus 5is completed.

At the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate employing the toll post-paymentsystem as the first or the second toll payment system, information isexchanged between the settling apparatus 6 and the storage medium 1 toautomatically adjust a toll by the settling apparatus 6. Morespecifically, the settling apparatus 6 acquires the personal information(the adjustment information) and a result of recognition of a type ofvehicle 3 obtained by the vehicle type recognizing apparatus, andcalculates a toll to be collected on the basis of the recognitionresult. The settling apparatus 6 then transmits the adjustment resultinformation, including the calculated toll and distinction of payment(post-payment), to the storage medium 1 to write the adjustment resultinformation in the storage medium 1. Thus, a sequence of automatic tolladjustments in the toll post-payment system by the settling apparatus iscompleted.

If the toll post-payment system is selected, the host computer managingthe settling apparatus 5 or the settling apparatus 6 withdraws thecalculated toll from a bank account specified in the personalinformation to finally settle the toll.

At the exit toll adjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gateemploying the toll post-payment system, three zones are provided whichare 1) a vehicle type recognizing zone for recognizing a type of vehicle3 by the vehicle type recognizing apparatus, 2) a toll settling zone forautomatically adjust a toll by the settling apparatus 5 or the settlingapparatus 6, and 3) an image zone for photographing an improper orinvalid vehicle by the photographing apparatus. To automatically adjusta toll, it is sufficient for the vehicle to simply pass through thevehicle recognizing zone and the toll settling zone in this orderwithout stopping. The photographing apparatus photographs the vehiclewhich is acting fraudulently, invalidly or improperly, so it is possibleto identify the improper or invalid vehicle from a photograph to takeany measure desired thereafter.

By acquiring the personal information from the storage medium 1 of avehicle passing through each of the zones, it is possible to manage aresult of the vehicle type recognition, a result of the adjustment and aresult of the photographing which are obtained in the respective zonescorrespondingly to a specific vehicle on the basis of the personalinformation.

A process in each zone is automatically carried out when a sensordetects passage of the vehicle 3 so that an unmanned exit toll adjustinggate or the unmanned entrance/exit toll adjusting gate becomes possible.

At the entrance toll adjusting gate employing the toll post-paymentsystem as the first or the second toll payment system, two zones areprovided which are 1) a passage recognizing zone for writing the uniqueinformation (the use information) about the entrance toll adjusting gateas the adjustment information in the storage medium 1 by the writingapparatus 4, and 2) an image zone for photographing an improper orinvalid vehicle by a photographing apparatus. To write the uniqueinformation about the entrance toll adjusting gate in the storage medium1, it is sufficient for the vehicle 3 to simply pass through the passagerecognizing zone without stopping. The photographing apparatus takes aphotograph of a vehicle acting fraudulently, invalidly or improperly. Inconsequence, it is possible to identify an improper or invalid vehiclefrom a photograph to take any measure desired after that. A process ineach zone is automatically carried out when a sensor detects passage ofthe vehicle 3 so that an unmanned entrance toll adjusting gate becomespossible.

If a storage medium having the radio communication function for theautomatic toll adjusting system of this invention, which was describedabove with reference to FIG. 2, is used, the receiving means 1B and thetransmitting means 1D of the storage medium 1 directly exchangeinformation with the writing apparatus or the settling apparatus, whichis used for automatic adjustment at the toll adjusting gate employingthe first payment system, by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll in the first tollpayment system.

At the toll adjusting gate employing the second toll payment system, thestorage medium 1 is inserted in the frequency converting apparatus 2,and information is indirectly exchanged between the transmitting means1B and the receiving means 1D of the storage medium 1 and the writingapparatus or the settling apparatus, which is used for the automatictoll adjustment at the toll adjusting gate, via the frequency convertingapparatus 2 by radio communication at the second predetermined frequencyto automatically adjust a toll in the second payment system.

In short, the user directly holds the storage medium 1, having the radiocommunication function, against the writing apparatus or the settlingapparatus for automatic toll adjustment at the toll adjusting gate so asto select the direct radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency, or inserts the storage medium 1 having a radio communicationfunction into the frequency converting apparatus 2 so as to select theindirect radio communication at the second predetermined frequency viathe frequency converting apparatus 2. By selecting either the directradio communication or the indirect radio communication, the user canvoluntarily select the first or the second payment system.

In the storage medium 1 of this invention, information written in thestorage medium 1 is enciphered data for security. In addition, apredetermined encipherment key, which is used to encipher the enciphereddata, is set and stored as plain-text in the storage medium 1, inaddition a password of the storage medium 1 is set and stored in advancein the storage medium 1.

When the receiving means 1B receives a read demand from the outside, theprocessing means 1C reads out enciphered data, for the information thatis an object of the read demand, and a plain-text predeterminedencipherment key from the storing means 1A, and the transmitting means1D transmits them. Thus, it is possible to prevent the information frombeing fraudulently or wrongfully intercepted when the information istransmitted from the storage medium 1.

When the receiving means 1B receives a write demand, corresponding tothe transmission of the information that is an object of the readdemand, from the outside, the deciphering means deciphers anencipherment key, which is included in the enciphered data, which is theinformation that is an object of the write demand with the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is stored in the storing means 1A.The encipherment key check means compares the deciphered enciphermentkey with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is storedin the storing means 1A, to check the information that is an object ofthe write demand. Thus, if any fraudulent, invalid or improper act suchas falsification has been done on data to be written in the storagemedium 1, it is possible to verify such data.

Further, the receiving means 1B receives a read demand accompanied by apassword from the outside upon a depositing process for the tollpre-payment. The password check means compares the password accompanyingthe read demand with a password stored in the storage means 1A to checkon a payer depositing to the storage medium 1. Thus, it is possible toverify whether the payer is the owner himself or herself.

Similarly, when the receiving means 1B receives a password input throughthe frequency converting apparatus 2 when the storage medium 1 isinserted in the frequency converting apparatus 2, the password checkmeans compares the received password with a password stored in thestoring means 1A to check on a user of the storage medium 1. Thus, it ispossible to verify whether the user is the owner himself or herself.

When the user passes through the toll adjusting gate, the storage medium1 having the radio communication function is inserted in the frequencyconverting apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system of thisinvention which was described above with reference to FIG. 3. When thestorage medium 1 is inserted into the frequency converting apparatus 2,information transmitted at the first predetermined frequency isconverted into the second predetermined frequency, or informationtransmitted at the second predetermined frequency is converted into thefirst predetermined frequency through the first communicating means 2Aand the second communicating means 2B of the frequency convertingapparatus 2. The converted information is exchanged between the storagemedium 1 and the writing apparatus or the settling apparatus which isused for automatic toll adjustment at the toll adjusting gate toautomatically adjust a toll.

If a password is set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1 forsecurity, the password is input through the inputting means when thestorage medium 1 is inserted in the frequency converting apparatus 2.This password is transmitted by the first communicating means 2A to thestorage medium 1 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency. At the storage medium 1, the input password is compared witha password which is set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1 tocheck on a user of the storage medium 1. Thus, it is possible to verifywhether the user is the owner himself or herself.

In the writing apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system of thisinvention which was described above with reference to FIG. 4, when theuser passes through the entrance toll adjusting gate, the demand issuingmeans 4B issues a write demand to write the use information, includingthe unique information about the entrance toll adjusting gate, to thestorage medium 1 having the radio communication function. This writingdemand is transmitted by the communicating means 4A at the entrance tolladjusting gate employing the first payment system by radio communicationat the first predetermined frequency, or indirectly via the frequencyconverting apparatus 2 at the entrance toll adjusting gate employing thesecond predetermined frequency.

The use information, including the unique information about the entrancetoll adjusting gate, is written in the storage medium 1 as above so thatit is possible to calculate a toll according to a trip distance based onthe unique information about the entrance toll adjusting gate which isread out from the storage medium 1 when the toll is automaticallyadjusted at the exit toll adjusting gate.

On this occasion, a passage time (i.e., time of passage) of the vehiclethrough the entrance toll adjusting gate is written in the storagemedium 1 such as to be included in the use information along with theunique information about the entrance toll adjusting gate. Thus, it ispossible to perform a check at the exit toll adjusting gate on the basisof a required time from a) the passage time read out from the storagemedium 1 to b) an arrival time at the exit toll adjusting gate.

If an identification number and a term of validity of the storage medium1 are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1 for security,the demand issuing means 4B issues a read demand to the storage medium 1to read the identification number and the term of validity from thestorage medium 1 through the communicating means 4A when the user withthe storage medium 1 passes through the entrance toll adjusting gate.When the identification number and the term of validity are read outfrom the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, the checkmeans performs a check on the identification number and the term ofvalidity read out from the storage medium 1. Thus, it is possible toconfirm correctness of the storage medium 1, in addition to avoiding afraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storage medium 1.

If information to be written in the storage medium 1 is enciphered asenciphered data and a predetermined encipherment key, which is used toencipher the information, is set and stored as plain-text in the storagemedium 1, the enciphered data for the identification number and the termof validity and the plain-text predetermined encipherment key are readout from the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand which isissued from the demand issuing means 4B. The deciphering means deciphersthe enciphered data for the identification number and the term ofvalidity with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key. Thus, it ispossible to prevent the information from being fraudulently orwrongfully intercepted when the information is transmitted from thestorage medium 1 to the writing apparatus 4.

If information (enciphered data) exchanged with the storage medium 1 byradio communication includes an enciphered predetermined enciphermentkey, which is obtained by enciphering a plain-text predeterminedencipherment key with the predetermined encipherment key, theencipherment key check means compares the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key, received with the enciphered data, with apredetermined encipherment key, which is obtained by deciphering theenciphered data by the deciphering means, to check the information thatis an object of the read demand. If any fraudulent, improper or invalidact such as falsification has been done on the data in the storagemedium 1, it is possible to verify such data (i.e., verify data isfalsified).

The use information to be written in the storage medium 1 is encipheredby the enciphering means with the plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey received with the enciphered data of the identification number andthe term of validity. Thus, it is possible to prevent the informationfrom being fraudulently intercepted when the information is transmittedfrom the writing apparatus 4 to the storage medium 1.

On this occasion, the enciphering means enciphers the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is used for the encipherment, withthe predetermined encipherment key, too, and this encipheredpredetermined encipherment key is included in the enciphered data, whichis the information that is an object of the write demand, to write theinformation in the storage medium 1. Thus, it is possible to check theinformation that is an object of the write demand at the storage medium1 by comparing the predetermined encipherment key in the enciphered datawith a predetermined encipherment key retained in the storage medium 1.If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act such as falsification hasbeen done on the data in the storage medium 1, it is possible to verifysuch data.

In the settling apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system ofthis invention which was described above with reference to FIG. 5, thedemand issuing means 5B issues a read demand, to read the adjustmentinformation, or a write demand, to write the adjustment resultinformation, to the storage medium 1 having the radio communicationfunction of the vehicle when the user passes through the exit tolladjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate.

At the exit toll adjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gateemploying the first payment system, these demands are transmitted by thecommunicating means 5A to the storage medium 1 by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency. To the contrary, at the exit tolladjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate employing thesecond payment system, these demands are transmitted to the storagemedium 1 by radio communication at the second predetermined frequency.

When the user passes through the exit toll adjusting gate or theentrance/exit toll adjusting gate, the demand issuing means 5B issues aread demand to the storage medium 1 to read the adjusting informationfrom the storage medium 1. When the adjustment information is read outfrom the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, the tolladjusting means 5C automatically adjusts a toll to be charged to theholder of the storage medium 1 on the basis of the adjustmentinformation.

After the automatic toll adjustment, the demand issuing means 5B issuesa write demand to write the adjustment result information, including acharged toll adjusted by the toll adjusting means 5C and paymentdistinction (the first/the second payment system), to the storagemedium 1. This adjustment result information is written as the useinformation in the storage medium 1. In consequence, it is possible tomanage a use history or the like in terms of the toll road on the basisof the adjustment result information retained in the storage medium 1.

If an identification number and a term of validity of the storage medium1 are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1 for security,the demand issuing means 5B issues a read demand to the storage medium 1to read the identification number and the term of validity from thestorage medium 1 through the communicating means 5A when the settlingprocess is initiated. When the identification number and the term ofvalidity are read out from the storage medium 1 in response to the readdemand, the check means performs a check on the identification numberand the term of validity transmitted from the storage medium 1, therebyconfirming correctness of the storage medium 1 besides preventingfraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storage medium 1.

If information to be written in the storage medium 1 is enciphered asenciphered data and a predetermined encipherment key, which is used toencipher the information, is set and stored as plain-text in the storagemedium 1 for security, the enciphered data, which is the informationthat is an object of a read demand, and the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key are read out from the storage medium 1 in response tothe read demand issued from the demand issuing means 5B. The decipheringmeans deciphers the enciphered data with the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key so that it is possible to prevent the information frombeing fraudulently or wrongfully intercepted when the information istransmitted from the storage medium 1 to the settling apparatus 5 (6).

If information (enciphered data), which is exchanged with the storagemedium 1 by radio communication, includes an enciphered predeterminedencipherment key, which is obtained by enciphering a plain-textpredetermined encipherment key with the predetermined encipherment key,the encipherment key check means compares the plain-text predeterminedencipherment key, which is received with the enciphered data, with apredetermined encipherment key which is obtained by deciphering theenciphered data, by the deciphering means to check the information thatis an object of a read demand. If any fraudulent, improper or invalidact such as falsification has been done on the data in the storagemedium 1, it is, therefore, possible to verify such data.

The use information to be written in the storage medium 1 is encipheredwith a plain-text predetermined encipherment key which is received withthe enciphered data. Thus, it is possible to prevent the informationfrom being fraudulently or wrongfully intercepted when the informationis transmitted from the settling apparatus 5 (6) to the storage medium1.

On this occasion, the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, whichis used for the encipherment, is also enciphered with the predeterminedencipherment key. This enciphered predetermined encipherment key isincluded in the enciphered data, which is the information that is anobject of a write demand, to write the information in the storagemedium 1. Thus, a check on the information that is an object of thewrite demand by comparing the predetermined encipherment key in theenciphered data with a predetermined encipherment key retained in thestorage medium 1 at the storage medium 1 becomes possible. If anyfraudulent, invalid or improper act such as falsification has been doneon the data in the storage medium 1, it is, therefore, possible toverify such data.

When the depositing apparatus for the automatic toll adjusting system ofthis invention which was described above with reference to FIG. 6performs the depositing process for toll pre-payment on the storagemedium 1 having the radio communication function retaining the balanceinformation therein, where the storage medium 1 becomes an object of acharged toll upon automatic toll adjustment at the toll adjusting gatein the toll pre-payment system, the storage medium 1 is inserted in thedepositing apparatus.

When the storage medium 1 is inserted in the depositing apparatus 7, thecommunication means 7A directly exchanges information with the storagemedium 1 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.The demand issuing means 7C issues a read demand to read the balanceinformation from the storage medium 1. When the balance information isread out from the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, thedepositing means 7B adds a sum of money currently received to a balanceincluded in the balance information output from the storage medium 1 tocalculate a new balance. The demand issuing means 7C then issues a writedemand to write the balance information including the new balance andthe depositing information including the sum of money deposited thistime to the storage medium 1. This information is written in the storagemedium 1. As above, the depositing process on the storage medium 1 iscompleted.

Incidentally, if a password is set and stored in advance in the storagemedium 1 for security, the password is input through the inputting meansand transmitted by the communication means 7A to the storage medium 1 byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency when thestorage medium 1 is inserted in the depositing apparatus 7. Thus, acheck on a user of the storage medium 1, by comparing the input passwordwith the password set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1,becomes possible at the storage medium 1 to verify whether the user isthe owner himself or herself.

If an identification number and a term of validity of the storage medium1 are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1 for security,the demand issuing means 7C issues a read demand to read theidentification number and the term of validity from the storage medium 1through the communicating means 7A when the depositing process isinitiated. When the identification number and the term of validity areread out from the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, thecheck means performs a check on the identification number and the termof validity to verify correctness of the storage medium 1. This iseffective to avoid a fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storagemedium 1.

If a maximum amount of deposit money and a maximum balance for thestorage medium 1 are set and stored in advance in the storage medium 1,the demand issuing means 7C issues a read demand to the storage medium 1to read the maximum amount of deposit money and the maximum balance fromthe storage medium 1 having the radio communication function through thecommunicating means 7A when the depositing process is initiated. Whenthe maximum amount of deposit money and the maximum balance are read outfrom the storage medium 1 in response to the read demand, the depositingmoney check means performs a check on the maximum amount of depositmoney and the maximum balance output from the storage medium 1. It is,therefore, possible to prevent a sum of money deposited through thedepositing means 7B from exceeding the maximum amount of deposit moneyor prevent a balance from exceeding the maximum balance as a result ofthe depositing process by the depositing means 7B.

If information to be written in the storage medium 1 is enciphered asenciphered data and a predetermined encipherment key, which is used toencipher the information, is set and stored as plain-text in the storagemedium 1, the enciphered data, which is the information that is anobject of a read demand, and the plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey are read out from the storage medium 1 in response to a read demandissued from the demand issuing means 7C. The deciphering means deciphersthe enciphered data with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key.Thus, it is possible to prevent the information from being fraudulentlyintercepted when the information is transmitted from the storage medium1 to the depositing apparatus 7.

On this occasion, the information (enciphered data), which is exchangedwith the storage medium 1 by radio communication, includes an encipheredplain-text predetermined encipherment key which is enciphered with thepredetermined encipherment key. The encipherment key check meanscompares the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isreceived with the enciphered data, with a predetermined enciphermentkey, which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered data by thedeciphering means, to check the information that is an object of theread demand. If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act such asfalsification has been done on the data stored in the storage medium 1,it is possible to verify such data.

The use information, to be written in the storage medium 1, isenciphered with the plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isreceived with the enciphered data, by the enciphering means. This iseffective to prevent the information from being fraudulently interceptedwhen the information is transmitted from the depositing apparatus 7 tothe storage medium 1.

Further, the enciphering means also enciphers the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is used for encipherment, with thepredetermined encipherment key. This enciphered predeterminedencipherment key is included in the information that is an object of thewrite demand to write the information in the storage medium 1 so that acheck on the information that is an object of the write demand, bycomparing at the storage medium 1 the predetermined encipherment key inthe enciphered data with a predetermined encipherment key retained inthe storage medium 1, becomes possible. If any fraudulent, invalid orimproper act such as falsification has been done on the data in thestorage medium 1, it is possible to verify such data.

When information stored in the storage medium 1 having the radiocommunication function is to be accessed, the storage medium 1 isinserted in the inquiring apparatus for the automatic toll adjustingsystem of this invention which was described above with reference toFIG. 7.

When the storage medium 1 is inserted in the inquiring apparatus 8, thecommunicating means 8A directly exchanges the information with thestorage medium 1 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency. The demand issuing means 8B issues a read demand to thestorage medium 1 to read the information that is an object of the readdemand from the storage medium 1. When the information that is an objectof the read demand is read out from the storage medium 1 in response tothe read demand, the expressing or outputting means 8C clearly outputsthe information that is an object of the read demand output from thestorage medium 1 so that it is possible to understand and confirm theinformation stored in the storage medium 1 to manage the information.

Meanwhile, the identification number of the storage medium 1 is set andstored in advance in the storage medium 1 for security. The demandissuing means 8B issues a read demand to the storage medium 1 to readthe identification number from the storage medium 1 through thecommunicating means 8A when an inquiring process is initiated. When theidentification number is read out from the storage medium 1 in responseto the read demand, the check means performs a check on theidentification number output from the storage medium 1 to confirmcorrectness of the storage medium 1. As a result, it is possible toavoid a fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storage medium 1.

If information to be written into the storage medium 1 is enciphered asenciphered data and a predetermined encipherment key, which is used toencipher the information, is set and stored as plain-text in the storagemedium 1, the enciphered data for the information that is an object ofinquiry and the plain-text predetermined encipherment key are read outfrom the storage medium 1 in response to a read demand issued from thedemand issuing means 8B. The deciphering means deciphers the enciphereddata, which is the information that is an object of the inquiry, withthe plain-text predetermined encipherment key. In consequence, it ispossible to prevent the information from interception when theinformation is transmitted from the storage medium 1 to the inquiringapparatus 8.

With the automatic toll adjusting system or the various apparatus forthis system of this invention, the user can voluntarily select a tollpayment system by selecting a frequency for radio communication at thetoll adjusting gate. This manner may largely improve service to theusers of the toll road.

Particularly, the user selects either direct radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency with the storage medium 1 having the radiocommunication function or indirect radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency with the storage medium 1 having the radiocommunication via the frequency converting apparatus 2 by inserting thestorage medium 1 having the radio communication function into thefrequency converting apparatus 2 to voluntarily select a toll paymentsystem at the toll gate. This manner may largely improve service to theusers of the toll road.

Either the writing apparatus 4 for the entrance toll adjusting gate orthe settling apparatus 5 for the exit toll adjusting gate on a toll roadwhere a toll according to a trip distance is collected, or the settlingapparatus 6 for the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate on a toll roadwhere a fixed toll irrespective of a trip distance is collected canautomatically adjust a toll for a toll road or the like charged theholder of the storage medium 1 on the basis of the adjustmentinformation.

Accordingly, this invention can achieve ticketless toll adjustment ortoll adjustment requiring no stopping of vehicles (when the post-paymentis selected, in particular). Moreover, according to this invention, theuser can voluntarily select the first or second payment system(pre-payment or post-payment system) so that this invention may improveservice for the users of the toll road.

Upon automatic toll adjustment, the settling apparatus 5 or 6 writes theadjustment result information including a charged toll and paymentdistinction (pre-payment/post-payment) as the use information in thestorage medium 1, and the storage medium 1 retains the adjustment resultinformation therein. It is, therefore, possible to manage the adjustmentresult information, and to manage and understand a use history by aholder of the storage medium 1. This contributes to an improvement ofservice for the holder of the storage medium 1.

Further, the storage medium 1 can retain the depositing information andthe balance information therein, and the balance information can beadded to or rewritten by direct communication at the first predeterminedfrequency between the depositing apparatus 7 and the storage medium 1 sothat a depositing process on the storage medium 1 in the tollpre-payment system is possible.

The inquiring apparatus 8 directly communicates with the storage medium1 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency so as toclearly output part or all of various information (the adjustment resultinformation, the use information, the personal information, thedepositing information, etc.) and histories of the various informationstored in the storage medium 1. Accordingly, it is possible tounderstand or confirm information in the storage medium 1 to manage it,which contributes to an improvement of service for a holder of thestorage medium 1.

Meanwhile, enciphered data for information demanded by the writingapparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or 6, the depositing apparatus 7or the inquiring apparatus 8 is transmitted along with a plain-textpredetermined encipherment key from the storage medium 1 to each of theapparatuses. In each of the apparatuses 4 through 8, the enciphered datais deciphered with the predetermined encipherment key. This is helpfulto prevent the information from interception when the information istransmitted from the storage medium 1 to each of the apparatuses 4through 8.

When the enciphered data is deciphered in the writing apparatus 4, thesettling apparatus 5 or 6, or the depositing apparatus 7, the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is received with the enciphereddata, is compared with a predetermined encipherment key, which isobtained by deciphering the enciphered data, to check the informationsupplied from the storage medium 1. If any fraudulent, invalid orimproper act such as falsification has been done on the data in thestorage medium 1, it is possible to verify such data immediately andcertainly.

Further, the enciphered data which is enciphered in the writingapparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or 6, or the depositing apparatus7 is transmitted to the storage medium 1 to be written therein so thatan interception of the information can be prevented with certainty whenthe information is transmitted from each of the apparatuses 4 through 7to the storage medium 1.

When the storage medium 1 receives the enciphered data from the writingapparatus 4, the settling apparatus 5 or 6, or the depositing apparatus7, a plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is stored inadvance in the storage medium 1, is compares with a predeterminedencipherment key which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered datawith the predetermined encipherment key to check the information outputfrom each of the apparatuses 4 through 7. If any fraudulent, invalid orimproper act such as falsification has been done on the data to bewritten in the storage medium 1, it is possible to verify such dataimmediately and certainly.

Information demanded by the writing apparatus 4, the settling apparatus5 or 6, the depositing apparatus 7 or the inquiring apparatus 8 istransmitted along with an identification number and a term of validityfrom the storage medium 1 to each of the apparatuses 4 through 8, andthe identification number and the term of validity are checked in eachof the apparatuses 4 through 8. As a result, correctness of the storagemedium 1 can be confirmed. Further, a fraudulent, invalid or improperuse of the storage medium 1 can be prevented with certainty.

Moreover, when the depositing process is performed or the storage medium1 is inserted in the frequency converting apparatus 2, a password inputthrough the depositing apparatus 7 or the frequency converting apparatus2 is transmitted to the storage medium 1, and the password is comparedwith a password, which is set in advance in the storage medium 1, tocheck a payer depositing to the storage medium 1 or a user of thestorage medium 1. In consequence, it is possible to verify whether thepayer or user is the owner himself or herself. This makes it furtherpossible to avoid fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the storagemedium 1, to skip an input of the password upon an actual tolladjustment, and to quicken the toll adjusting process.

In the depositing process, a maximum amount of deposit money and amaximum balance are acquired along with the balance information from thestorage medium 1 to perform a check on the maximum amount of depositmoney and the maximum balance. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent asum of deposit money from exceeding the maximum amount of deposit moneyor a balance from exceeding the maximum balance as a result of thedepositing process. Further, more money than necessity is prevented frombeing received in the depositing process. If the storage medium 1 isused fraudulently, improperly or invalidly, damage caused can beminimized.

The totaling apparatus totals accumulation of sums of received money andaccumulation of collected tolls for each storage medium 1 to manage atotal sum that is a balance of these accumulation. If someonefraudulently, improperly or invalidly manipulates a sum of the moneypaid to the storage medium 1, such an operation can be verified. Furtherfraudulent, invalid or improper acts such as forged payments can beprevented with certainty.

At the entrance toll adjusting gate on a toll road where a tollaccording to a trip distance is collected, a passage time through thisentrance toll adjusting gate is written in the storage medium 1 by thewriting apparatus 4. When a toll is automatically adjusted by thesettling apparatus for the exit toll adjusting gate, it is possible todetermine a time period required to reach this exit adjusting gate fromthe passage time written in the storage medium 1. If any fraudulent,invalid or improper use has been done during the use of the toll road,it is possible to verify it, and to avoid fraudulent, improper orinvalid use of the toll road with certainty.

According to this invention, a security function may be largely improvedas above. If the storage medium 1 having the radio communicationfunction is used, it is possible to cope with interception ofinformation by radio communication, fraudulent, improper or invalid useof the storage medium 1, falsification such as forged payment on thedata in the storage medium 1, fraudulent, invalid or improper use of thetoll road, etc.

At the exit toll adjusting gate or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gatein the toll post-payment system, there are provided three zones, whichare 1) the vehicle type recognizing zone, 2) the toll settling zone and3) the image zone. The user can automatically adjust a toll by simplypassing through the vehicle type recognizing zone and the toll settlingzone in this order in the vehicle 3 without stopping. On this occasion,an improper or invalid vehicle is photographed in the image zone. Thus,it is possible to identify the improper or invalid vehicle to take ameasure to, for example, charge a penalty. Thus, it is possible to copewith an improper or invalid vehicle such as bilking a toll due toautomatic toll adjustment requiring no stopping of vehicles.

An identification number is acquired from the storage medium 1 which ison a vehicle passing through each of the zones so that a result of thevehicle type recognition, a result of the adjustment, a result of thephotographing, which is obtained in the respective zones, can becorresponded to a specific vehicle 3 on the basis of the identificationnumber. Even if a plurality of vehicles successively pass through theadjusting gate within a short period of time, it is possible to manageresults of the processes in the respective zones by the vehicles.

At the entrance toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment system,there are provided two zones, which are 1) the passage recognizing zoneand 2) the image zone.

When the vehicle 3 passes through the passage recognizing zone withoutstopping, the unique information about the entrance adjusting gate canbe written in the storage medium 1. Any improper or invalid vehicle isphotographed in the image zone so that it is possible to cope with animproper or invalid vehicle such as a vehicle not carrying the storagemedium 1 or the like.

By automatically carrying out a process in each of the zones when thesensor detects passage of a vehicle, it is possible to achieve anunmanned toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment system, and tosave labor in the toll adjusting process.

(b) Description of a System According to an Embodiment of This Invention

Hereinafter, a description will be made of an is embodiment of thisinvention by reference to the drawings.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an entire structure of an automatictoll adjusting system for a toll road as an embodiment of thisinvention. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 10 denotes a radio card (astorage medium with a radio communication function), 20 denotes anon-vehicle apparatus (a frequency converting apparatus, terminalequipment), and 30 denotes a vehicle. This embodiment is applied to asystem for collecting a toll for a toll road. Here a pre-payment systemis used as a first payment system, and a post-payment (credit) system isused as a second payment system.

The radio card 10 is carried by a user of a toll road. The radio card 10stores various information therein which is necessary for adjustment ofa toll for a toll road and transmits and receives the information by aradio communication at a first predetermined frequency with an externalapparatus. A detailed description of a structure of the radio card 10will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

The radio card 10 is, in general, a storage medium of a card type whichreceives and transmits data by radio communication with an interfacedevice (a base station), and retains and manages the data in files (astorage 11 described later). A power source for the radio card 10 iscontained in the radio card 10 itself, or supplied from the outside byradio (a microwave or the like) when the radio card 10 is activated.This invention is applicable to either case.

The on-vehicle apparatus 20 is mounted in each of the vehicles 30traveling on the toll road. The on-vehicle apparatus 20 has the radiocard 10 inserted thereinto when the toll post-payment system is selectedas described later, converts information at a first predeterminedfrequency into a second predetermined frequency for the tollpost-payment to transmit the information by radio communication to theexternal apparatus, and in addition converts the information at thesecond predetermined frequency received from the external apparatus intothe first predetermined frequency to transmit the information to theradio card 10 by radio communication. Detailed description of astructure of the on-vehicle apparatus 20 will be described later withreference to FIG. 10.

There are, in general, two types of toll roads where a toll depending ona trip distance is collected as represented by Tomei Highway or the like(reference numeral 31 in FIG. 8), and a toll irrespective of a tripdistance is collected as represented by Shuto Highway or the like(reference numeral 32 in FIG. 8).

Typically, on a toll road 31 where a toll depending on a trip distanceof a vehicle is collected, the vehicle 30 passes through a toll post atan entrance (referred to as an entrance toll adjusting gate in thisembodiment) and a toll post at an exit (referred to as an exit tolladjusting gate in this embodiment) to collect a toll. On a toll road 32where a toll is collected irrespectively of a trip distance, the vehicle30 passes through one toll gate installed at an entrance or an exit(referred to as an entrance/exit toll adjusting gate in this embodiment)to adjust a toll.

In this embodiment, there are two types of systems, one employing a tollpre-payment system where a toll is adjusted at each of the toll gates atan entrance, an exit and an entrance/exit of the toll roads 31 and 32,which are installed for only the toll pre-payment system, and the otheremploying a toll post-payment system where toll gates are installed foronly the toll post-payment system. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 33Adenotes an entrance toll adjusting gate for the toll pre-payment system,33B denotes an entrance toll adjusting gate for the toll post-paymentsystem, 34A denotes an exit toll adjusting gate for the toll pre-paymentsystem, 34B denotes an exit toll adjusting gate for the tollpost-payment system, 35A denotes an entrance/exit toll adjusting gatefor the toll pre-payment system, and 35B denotes an entrance/exit tolladjusting gate for the toll post-payment system.

The entrance toll adjusting gate 33A for the toll pre-payment system andthe entrance toll adjusting gate 33B in the toll post-payment system areprovided with a writing apparatus 40A for the entrance toll adjustinggate in the toll pre-payment system and a writing apparatus 40B for theentrance toll adjusting gate for the toll post-payment system,respectively. The exit toll adjusting gate 34A in the toll pre-paymentsystem and the exit toll adjusting gate 34B in the toll post-paymentsystem are provided with a settling apparatus 50A for the exit tolladjusting gate in the toll pre-payment system and a settling apparatus50B for the exit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment system,respectively. The entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35A in the tollpre-payment system and the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B in thetoll post-payment system are provided with a settling apparatus 60A forthe entrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the toll pre-payment system anda settling apparatus 60B for the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate inthe toll post-payment system, respectively.

Each of the writing apparatus 40A and 40B transmits use information suchas unique information about the corresponding entrance toll adjustinggate 33A or 33B (for example, a tollhouse code, a tollhouse name, etc.),a date and time of the use (a passage time at the gate) and the like tothe radio card 10 of the vehicle 30 passing through the correspondingentrance toll adjusting gate 33A or 33B to write the information asadjustment information by radio communication as described later. Astructure of each of the writing apparatus 40A and 40B will be describedin detail later with reference to FIG. 11.

Each of the setting apparatus 50A and 50B at the corresponding exit tolladjusting gate 34A or 34B acquires adjustment information (such asunique information about the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A or 33Bwhich is written by the writing apparatus 40A or 40B, personalinformation including an identification number, etc.) from the radiocard 10 by radio communication as described later to automaticallyadjust a toll for the toll road charged to a holder of the radio card 10on the basis of the adjustment information and vehicle type information.Structures of these settling apparatus 50A and 50B will be described indetail later with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, respectively.

Each of the setting apparatus 60A or 60B at the correspondingentrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35A or 35B acquires adjustmentinformation (such as personal information including an identificationnumber, etc.) from the radio card 10 by radio communication, asdescribed later, to automatically adjust a toll for the toll roadcharged to a holder of the radio card 10 on the basis of the adjustmentinformation and vehicle type information. Structures of these settingapparatus 60A and 60B will be described in detail later with referenceto FIGS. 14 and 15, respectively.

In this embodiment, the toll adjusting gates 34A and 35A employing thetoll pre-payment system are manned. The vehicle 30 stops at the tolladjusting gate 34A or 35A, and is subjected to an adjusting process (asettling process) according to a type of vehicle recognized by theattendant by radio communication as described later. Toll display units36 and 37 are installed at the toll adjusting gates 34A and 35A,respectively, each of which shows a charged toll as a result of theadjustment of the toll to the user of the toll road in the vehicle 30.Incidentally, the toll adjusting gates 34A, 35A may be unmanned.

The toll adjusting gates 33B, 34B and 35B employing the tollpost-payment system are unmanned. The vehicle 30 does not stop at thetoll adjusting gate 33B, 34B and 35B, but is subjected to an automaticadjusting process according to vehicle type information obtained byautomatic recognition by radio communication as described later.Structures of the toll adjusting gates 33B, 34B and 35B will bedescribed in detail later with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19.

In a system according to this embodiment, at the toll adjusting gates33A, 34A and 35A employing the toll pre-payment system, the radio card10 directly exchanges information with the writing apparatus 40A, or thesettling apparatus 50A or 60A by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust the tolls in the tollpre-payment system. To the contrary, at the toll adjusting gates 33B,34B and 35B employing the toll post-payment system, the radio card 10 isinserted into the on-vehicle apparatus 20 to indirectly exchangeinformation with the writing apparatus 40B, the settling apparatus 50Bor 60B at the corresponding toll adjusting gates 33B, 34B or 35B via theon-vehicle apparatus 20 by a radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll in the tollpost-payment system.

In practice, if a toll adjustment in the toll pre-payment system isselected, a user of the toll road stops the vehicle 30 at the tolladjusting gate 33A, 34A or 35A employing the toll pre-payment system,and points the radio card 10 directly at an antenna (refer to referencenumbers 42, 43, 52, 53, 62 and 63 in FIGS. 11 through 15) of the writingapparatus 40A, the settling apparatus 50A or the settling apparatus 60Aso as to adjust a toll in the toll pre-payment system. On that occasion,the toll display unit 36 or 37 displays a charged toll or gives anindication of completion of toll collection.

When the toll post-payment system is selected, the user of the toll roadinserts the radio card 10 in advance into the on-vehicle apparatus 20.It is sufficient for the user to drive the vehicle 30 through the tolladjusting gate 33B, 34B or 35B employing the toll post-payment systemwithout stopping so as to adjust the toll in the toll pre-payment systemvia the on-vehicle apparatus 20. At that time, completion of the tollcollection may be notified to the user from the on-vehicle apparatus 20with a sound or a light.

In the case of the automatic toll adjustment by the settling apparatus50A, 50B, 60A or 60B, information about a result of the toll adjustment,including a charged toll having been adjusted and payment distinctionshowing whether the payment system is the toll pre-payment system or thetoll post-payment system, is directly transmitted to the radio card 10by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency orindirectly via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at thesecond predetermined frequency and is written as use information intothe radio card 10.

The toll pre-payment system necessitates a prior depositing process. Thesystem according to this embodiment includes a depositing apparatus 70for the toll pre-payment system to perform the depositing process.

In order to perform the depositing process for the toll pre-paymentsystem on the radio card 10, the depositing apparatus 70 acquiresbalance information (that is an object of a toll collection at the timeof automatic adjustment at each of the toll adjusting gates 34A or 35Bin the toll pre-payment system) from the radio card 10 by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency with the radio card10 when the radio card 10 is inserted into the depositing apparatus 70.The depositing apparatus 70 adds a sum of money deposited this time to abalance included in the balance information to obtain a new balance,transmits the balance information including the new balance anddepositing information including the sum of money deposited this time tothe radio card 10 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency to write them into the radio card 10. A structure of thedepositing apparatus 70 will be described in detail later with referenceto FIG. 16.

The system according to the invention also includes an inquiringapparatus 80 which inquires about various information (refer to FIG. 21)stored in the radio card 10. The inquiring apparatus 80 obtains variousinformation stored in the radio card 10 by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency with the radio card 10 when the radio card10 is inserted into the inquiring apparatus 80, and clearly outputs (forexample, displays on a display or prints out; refer to FIGS. 34 through36) the various information. A structure of the inquiring apparatus 80will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 17.

The above-described writing apparatus 40A and 40B, the settlingapparatus 50A, 50B, 60A and 60B, and the depositing apparatus 70 in thesystem according to this embodiment are managed by a host computer 90.

The host computer 90 provides information necessary for a negative check(i.e., insufficient balance check) performed in the writing apparatus40A and 40B, the settling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A and 60B and thedepositing apparatus 70, and in addition manages a result of thedepositing process performed by the depositing apparatus 70 on eachradio card 10 or a result of the toll adjusting process in each of thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B 60A or 60B.

The host computer 90 has a totaling process unit (totaling apparatus) 91and a post-payment processing unit 92. The totaling process unit 91totals a) accumulation of deposit money to be written into the radiocard 10 as the depositing information from the depositing apparatus 70and b) accumulation of tolls having been collected to be written intothe radio card 10 as the use information from the settling apparatus 50Aor 60A in the toll pre-payment system for each of the radio cards 10,and manages a total sum that is a balance of these accumulations (referto FIG. 26) for each of the radio cards 10 (personal) and for the entiresystem (a total sum). The post-payment processing unit 92 asks a bank orthe like to perform a process for withdrawing a charged toll that hasbeen calculated by the settling apparatus 50A or 60A in the tollpost-payment system from a bank account or the like specified by thepersonal information obtained by the settling apparatus 50A or 60A.

(c) Description of Security Mechanism of This Embodiment

The radio card 10, which will be described in detail later withreference to FIG. 9, has a storage (a storage means) 11 to store thereinvarious information necessary for toll adjustment. The storage 11 storestherein information such as, for example, shown in FIG. 21. A datastructure in the storage 11 is a tree structure made up of a directory11A that is a control area and files 11B through 11F which are managedby the directory 11A.

In a personal information file 11B, an identification number is stored(a system ID-personal ID) which was set when the radio card 10 wasissued, and in addition stores a name, an address, a telephone numberand the like about a holder of the radio card 10 in an enciphered statewhich is enciphered by a predetermined encipherment key, that is, asenciphered data. Incidentally, the encipherment key is set when the cardis issued, but is variable depending on the number of issued radio cards10 or a date of the issuance of the radio card 10.

In a security information file 11C, the above encipherment key is storedas plain-text (in a state not enciphered), and in addition to theencipherment key, a password selected by the holder when the radio card10 was issued, and a term of validity which was set when the radio card10 was issued are all in a state where they have been enciphered withthat encipherment key.

In a use information file 11D, the use information is stored which isobtained at each of the toll adjusting gates (toll houses) 33A, 33B,34A, 34B, 35A and 35B as a result of use of the toll road in a statewhere they have been enciphered with the encipherment key.

For instance, as the use information at the entrance toll adjustinggates 33A and 33B, a type (entrance) , a tollhouse code, date and timewhen the vehicle 30 passed through, etc. are written from the writingapparatus 40A and 40B. As the use information at the exit toll adjustinggates 34A and 35B, a type (exit), a tollhouse code, data and time of thepayment, distinction of the payment (pre- or post-), a type of thevehicle/a charge, etc. are written from the settling apparatus 50A and50B. As the use information at the entrance/exit toll adjusting gates35A and 35B, a type (entrance/exit), a tollhouse code, date and time ofthe payment, distinction of the payment (pre- or post-), a type of thevehicle/a charge, etc. are written from the settling apparatus 60A and60B.

Meanwhile, it is possible to erase the use information which is writtenat the entrance toll adjusting gates 33A and 33B by overwriting the useinformation output from the exit toll adjusting gates 34A and 34B. Sincethe use information is written in the use information file 11D, the pasttwenty generations, for example, are kept (the oldest is erased when theuse information in the twenty-first generation is written) so that ageneration management (a history management) is possible.

A depositing information file 11E is made up of two subfiles 11E-1 and11E-2. In the subfile 11E-1, there is stored a maximum amount of depositmoney that is depositable at a time when the depositing apparatus 70performs the depositing process. The maximum amount of deposit money isenciphered with the encipherment key. In the subfile 11E-2, there isstored depositing information (a place of deposit, date and time ofdeposit, a sum of deposit money, etc.) which is written from thedepositing apparatus 70 in a state where it is enciphered with theencipherment key. As the depositing information written in the subfile11E-2, the past twenty generations, for example, are kept so that ageneration management (a history management) is possible similar to theabove-described use information.

In a balance information file 11F, there are stored a maximum balancebeyond which the depositing apparatus 70 cannot perform the depositingprocess, and a balance obtained by subtracting a charged toll in thetoll adjusting process by the settling apparatus 50A or 60A in the tollpre-payment system. This balance is updated in the depositing processperformed by the depositing apparatus 70. Both the balance and themaximum balance are stored in an enciphered state where they areenciphered with the encipherment key.

In FIG. 21, "A1, A2, . . . , An; B1, B2, . . . , Bn; C1, C2, . . . , Cn;D1, D2, . . . , Dn; E1, E2, . . . , En; F1, F2, . . . , Fn" in therespective files 11B through 11F designate record numbers in the files11B through 11F. In FIG. 21, the shaded portions indicate enciphereddata.

In the system according to this embodiment, the password selected by theholder when the radio card 10 was issued is set in advance in thesecurity information file 11C as stated before. By using the password,verification as to whether the user is the owner himself or herself iscarried out in the following manner.

In the case of toll adjustment in the toll pre-payment system, apassword input through the depositing apparatus 70 is transmitted to theradio card 10 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when the depositing apparatus 70 performs the depositingprocess. In the radio card 10, a password, which is set and stored inthe radio card 10, is deciphered into a plain-text state from anenciphered state, the deciphered password is then compared with thepassword transmitted from the depositing apparatus 70 to check on apayer depositing to the radio card 10, in other word, to verify whethera payer depositing to the radio card 10 is the owner himself or herself.In practice, the verification of the user by inputting the password isskipped when a toll is actually adjusted in the toll pre-payment systemat the toll adjusting gate 34A or 35A.

In the case of toll adjustment in the toll post-payment system, apassword input through the on-vehicle apparatus 20 is transmitted to theradio card 10 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when the radio card 10 is inserted in the on-vehicle apparatus20. In the radio card 10, a password set and stored in the radio card 10is deciphered from an enciphered state into a plain-text state, and thedeciphered password is compared with the password transmitted from theon-vehicle apparatus 20 to check on the user of the radio card 10, thatis, to verify whether the user is the owner himself or herself. Inpractice, the verification of the user by inputting the password isskipped when the toll is actually adjusted in the toll post-paymentsystem at the toll adjusting gate 34B or 35B.

A check on a) a payer depositing to the radio card 10 when thedepositing apparatus 70 performs the depositing process or b) a user ofthe radio card 10 when the radio card 10 is inserted into the on-vehicleapparatus 20 enables a verification of the payer or the user as towhether the payer or the user is the owner of the radio card 10 to avoida fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the radio card 10. By virtue ofthis check, it is possible to omit an input of the password when a tollis actually adjusted so that an adjusting process can be performed moreswiftly.

In the system according to this embodiment, the information is exchangedas enciphered data by radio communication between the radio card 10 andeach apparatus (the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settling apparatus50A, 50B, 60A, 60B, the depositing apparatus 70 or the inquiringapparatus 80). This is effective to prevent the information from easilybeing intercepted, in addition to enable a verification of falsifieddata with use of the encipherment key as follows.

As shown in FIG. 20, when data is transmitted from the radio card 10 toeach apparatus, read-in data to be transmitted, that has been encipheredwith a plain-text encipherment key, is transmitted along with aplain-text encipherment key and an enciphered encipherment key. On theside of the apparatus, the enciphered data is deciphered with theplain-text encipherment key received at the same time, and thedeciphered encipherment key is compared with the plain-text enciphermentkey, thereby verifying falsified data.

Written data to be transmitted from each apparatus to the radio card 10and the encipherment key are enciphered with this encipherment key, andtransmitted as enciphered data to the radio card 10. When receiving thewritten data, the radio card 10 deciphers the encipherment key, which isin an enciphered state and which is received at the same time as thewritten data, with the plain-text encipherment key which is stored inthe security information file 11C of the storage 11, compares thedeciphered encipherment key with the plain-text encipherment key toverify falsified data.

Next, verification of falsified data as above in the system of thisembodiment shown in FIG. 8 will be described in more detail.

When the radio card 10 receives a read demand to read out informationstored in the radio card 10 from the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B, the settling apparatus 60A, 60B, thedepositing apparatus 70 or the inquiring apparatus 80, the radio card 10transmits a plain-text encipherment key and enciphered data, that is anobject of the read demand, to the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B, the depositing apparatus 70, orthe inquiring apparatus 80 directly by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency or indirectly via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 byradio communication at the second predetermined frequency.

The writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settling apparatus 50A, 50B 60A,60B, the depositing apparatus 70 or the inquiring apparatus 80 deciphersthe received enciphered data with the plain-text encipherment keytransmitted from the radio card 10, compares the deciphered enciphermentkey, obtained from the enciphered data, with the plain-text enciphermentkey, which is received along with the enciphered data, to check theinformation that is an object of the read demand issued from the radiocard 10. If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act such asfalsification has been done on the data in the radio card 10, it ispossible to verify such data, as above.

It is possible in the above manner to prevent with certainty, theinformation from being intercepted when the data is transmitted from theradio card 10 to the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settling apparatus50A, 50B 60A, 60B, the depositing apparatus 70 or the inquiringapparatus 80, and to verify falsified data quickly and certainly.

When the information is written from the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B or the depositing apparatus 70into the radio card 10, the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settlingapparatus 50A, 50B 60A, 60B or the depositing apparatus 70 enciphers thedata, that is an object of the write demand, and the encipherment keywith the plain-text encipherment key, and transmits the enciphered datadirectly to the radio card 10 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency, or indirectly via the on-vehicle apparatus 20by radio communication at the second predetermined frequency.

The radio card 10 deciphers the enciphered data, which is received fromthe writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A,60B or the depositing apparatus 70, with the plain-text encipherment keywhich is stored in the security information file 11C in the storage 11,compares this plain-text encipherment key with the encipherment keyobtained by deciphering the enciphered data to check the informationthat is an object of the write demand issued from the writing apparatus40A, 40B, the settling apparatus 50A, 50B 60A, 60B or the depositingapparatus 70. If any fraudulent, invalid or improper measures such asfalsification or the like is taken on the data to be written in theradio card 10, it is possible to verify such data.

As above, it is possible to prevent information from being interceptedwith certainty when data is transmitted from the writing apparatus 40A,40B, the settling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B or the depositingapparatus 70 to the radio card 10, and to verify falsified dataimmediately and certainly.

In the system according to this embodiment, it is possible to verify afraudulent, invalid or improper use as described below, in addition toverification as to whether a payer or a user is the owner of the radiocard 10 and verification of falsified data.

When the radio card 10 receives a read demand to read information storedin the radio card 10 from the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settlingapparatus 50A, 50B, the settling apparatus 60A, 60B or the depositingapparatus 70, the radio card 10 transmits an identification number (asystem ID-a personal ID) and a term of validity along with the data thatis an object of the read demand to the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B or the depositing apparatus 70directly by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency, orindirectly via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at thesecond predetermined frequency. The writing apparatus 40A, 40B, thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B or the depositing apparatus 70performs a check on the identification number and the term of validity.

If the radio card 10 receives a read demand to read information storedin the radio card 10 from the inquiring apparatus 80, the radio card 10transmits only the identification number along with the data, that is anobject of the read demand issued from the inquiring apparatus 80, to theinquiring apparatus 80 by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency. The inquiring apparatus 80 performs a check on theidentification number.

In the event of a check on the identification number, a negative checkis performed using a system ID in the identification number on the basisof information provided by the host computer 90 to confirm correctnessof the radio card 10. A check on the basis of the term of validity isused to determine whether the radio card 10 is valid or not. Thesechecks are effective to confirm correctness of the radio card 10, and toavoid fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the radio card 10previously and certainly.

When the depositing apparatus 70 performs the depositing process, thedepositing apparatus 70 acquires a maximum amount of deposit money and amaximum balance along with the balance information from the radio card10, and performs a check on the maximum amount of deposit money and themaximum balance. By checking a maximum sum (a maximum amount of depositmoney) receivable at a time and a maximum sum (a maximum balance)retainable in the radio card 10, it is possible to prevent the moneypaid through the depositing apparatus 70 from exceeding the maximumamount of deposit money or prevent the balance from exceeding themaximum balance as a result of the depositing process. This can furtherprevent more money than necessary from being received in the depositingprocess so as to minimize damage, caused by, for example, fraudulent,invalid or improper use.

On a toll road 31 where a toll according to a trip distance iscollected, the settling apparatus 50A or 50B at the exit toll adjustinggate 34A or 34B directly acquires a passage time (i.e., time of passage)of the vehicle 30 at the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A or 33B (usedate/time) which was written as the use information into the radio card10 by the writing apparatus 40A or 40B by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency, or indirectly via the on-vehicleapparatus 20 by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency, calculates a time period required for the vehicle 30 to reachthe exit toll adjusting gate 34A or 34B from the passage time of thevehicle 30 at the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A or 33B in order tocheck whether the required time period (i.e., amount of time required bythe vehicle to travel between the entrance and exit) is reasonable ornot.

This check makes it possible to determine a time period that the userhas required to travel on the toll road 31, and verify if the user hasdone any fraudulent, invalid or improper act during the use of the tollroad, to avoid fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the toll road.

Contents of the verification for verifying fraudulent, invalid orimproper use performed in the depositing apparatus 70, the writingapparatus 40A, 40B, the settling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B, or theinquiring apparatus 80 are tabulated in Table 1 as shown below for easyunderstanding. In Table 1, ∘ shows that a check is performed, and Δshows that a check is performed at only the exit toll adjusting gates34A and 34B.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                                               writing                                                                       appara-                                                              depo-    tus,    inquir-                                                      siting   settling                                                                              ing                                                          appara-  appara- appara-                                                      tus      tus     tus                                            ______________________________________                                        (1) check correctness of                                                                      ∘                                                                            ∘                                                                         ∘                              the radio card using a                                                        system ID of the identifi-                                                    cation number (system ID-                                                     personal ID)                                                                  (2) check a term of                                                                           ∘                                                                            ∘                                                                         --                                         validity of the radio card                                                    (3) check a maximum sum                                                                       ∘                                                                            --      --                                         (a ceiling of depositing                                                      money) receivable at a                                                        time                                                                          (4) check a maximum                                                                           ∘                                                                            --      --                                         sum (a ceiling of balance)                                                    retainable in the radio                                                       card                                                                          (5) calculate a required                                                                      --         .increment.                                                                           --                                         time period from a passage                                                    time at the entrance toll                                                     adjusting gate to check as                                                    to whether the time period                                                    is reasonable                                                                 ______________________________________                                    

In the system according to this embodiment, the totaling process unit 91of the host computer 90 managing the depositing apparatus 70, and thesettling apparatus 50A and 60A in the toll pre-payment system totals a)accumulation of sums of deposit money written as the depositing moneyinformation in the radio card 10 from the money receiving apparatus 70and b) accumulation of collected tolls written as the use informationinto the radio card 10 from the settling apparatus 50A and 60A for eachradio card 10 and for the entire system, and manages a total sum as abalance of these accumulations.

If a sum of the money from the radio card 10 is incorrect, it ispossible to verify such an operation and avoid a fraudulent, invalid orimproper act such as a fake transfer of money or the like. For instance,if the depositing process is fraudulently, invalidly or improperlyperformed on the radio card 10 without using the depositing apparatus70, the accumulation of collected tolls increases although theaccumulation of sums of deposit money does not increase, so the totalsum becomes a negative value. Accordingly, by watching the total sum(i.e., negative check), it is possible to verify a fraudulent, invalidor improper depositing process.

As above, it is possible in the system according to this embodiment tobuild up a security function. In the case of using the radio card 10, itis, therefore, possible to cope, with certainty, with information whichis intercepted by radio communication, fraudulent, invalid or improperuse of the radio card 10, forgery of data in the radio card 10 such asfake transfer of money, fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the tollroad, etc.

Meanwhile, a description of a practical structure to accomplish theabove-described security in the system according to this embodiment willbe made when each of the apparatuses configuring this system isdescribed by reference to FIGS. 9 through 17.

(d) Description of Radio Card

Now, referring to FIG. 9, a description will be made of a structure ofthe radio card 10 according to this embodiment, which is carried by auser of the toll road. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 11 denotes a storage(a storing means) for storing various information (adjustmentinformation necessary for toll adjustment for the toll roads 31 and 32)in a data structure described before with reference to FIG. 21, 12denotes a receiving unit (a receiving means) which demodulates a carrierwave transmitted by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency for the toll pre-payment system and received by a built-inreceiving antenna 13, and which takes out (i.e., outputs) received data(a command) processable in a command processing unit 16 which isdescribed later. Reference numeral 14 denotes a transmitting unit (atransmitting means) which modulates transmitted data into a carrier waveat the first predetermined frequency, and in addition which supplieselectrical energy necessary for transmission to a built-in transmittingantenna 15 to transmit the transmitted data (responsive information) tothe outside through the transmitting antenna 15 by radio communicationat the first predetermined frequency.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a command processing unit (a processingmeans) which performs processes on files in the storage 11 such asdesignated file opening (Open), data reading (Read), data writing(Write), designated file closing (Close), etc. on the basis of thecommand information received by the receiving unit 12, and whichnotifies responsive information to the transmitting unit 14.

When receiving a read demand from the outside through the receiving unit12, the command processing unit 16 reads out enciphered data (responsiveinformation) that is an object of the read demand and a plain-textencipherment key from the storage 11, and transmits them at the firstpredetermined frequency through the transmitting unit 14 and thetransmitting antenna 15.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a deciphering unit (a deciphering means).When receiving a write demand through the receiving antenna 13 and thereceiving unit 12 from the outside in response to the transmission ofthe data that is the object of the read demand as above, the decipheringunit 17 deciphers an encipherment key, included in the enciphered datathat is an object of the write demand, with the plain-text enciphermentkey stored in the storage 11.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a security function unit which has apassword check unit 18A and an encipherment key check unit 18B.

The password check unit 18A compares a password obtained by decipheringenciphered data, for the password stored in the storage 11 by thedeciphering unit 17, with a password received from the outside throughthe receiving unit 12 to verify the owner of the radio card 10.

The password received from the outside is either a password which isinput through the depositing apparatus 70 when deposit money for thetoll pre-payment is processed, or a password which is input through theon-vehicle apparatus 20 when the radio card 10 is inserted in theon-vehicle apparatus 20. By comparing these passwords in the passwordcheck unit 18A, a check on a payer who operates the depositing apparatus70, and a check on a user who inserts the radio card 10 into theon-vehicle apparatus 20 to use the radio card 10 are performed.

The encipherment key check unit 18B compares the encipherment key, whichis deciphered by the deciphering unit 17, with the plain-textencipherment key in the storage 11 to check data that is an object of awrite demand which is issued from the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, thesettling apparatus 50A, 50B, 60A, 60B or the depositing apparatus 70.

If the password check unit 18A or the encipherment key check unit 18Bdetermines NG (No Good), this effect is transmitted by the commandprocessing unit 16 to the apparatus which transmitted the password orthe data.

At the toll adjusting gates 33A, 34A and 35A employing the tollpre-payment system, the radio card 10 of this embodiment directlyexchanges information through the receiving unit 12 (the receivingantenna 13) and the transmitting unit 14 (the transmitting antenna 15)of the radio card 10 with the writing apparatus 40A, or the settlingapparatus 50A or 60A, which are provided for the automatic tolladjustment at the toll adjusting gate 33A, 34A or 35A, by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency to automaticallyadjust a toll in the toll pre-payment system, as stated before.

On the other hand, at the toll adjusting gate 33B, 34B and 35B employingthe toll post-payment system, the radio card 10 is inserted into theon-vehicle apparatus 20 which is mounted in each vehicle 30, andindirectly exchanges information with the writing apparatus 40B, thesettling apparatus 50B or 60B at the toll adjusting gate 33B, 34A or 35Bthrough the receiving unit 12 (the receiving antenna 13) and thetransmitting unit 14 (the transmitting antenna 15) in the radio card 10via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust a toll in the tollpost-payment system.

If a user of the toll road 31 or 32 selects the toll pre-payment system,the user stops the vehicle 30 at the toll adjusting gate 33A, 34A or 35Afor the toll pre-payment system. The user can automatically adjust atoll in the toll pre-payment system by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency only by holding up the radio card 10 directlytoward the writing apparatus 40A, the settling apparatus 50A or 60Awithout opening the window or the like.

If a user of the toll road 31 or 32 selects the toll post-paymentsystem, the user does not need to stop the vehicle 30 at the tolladjusting gate 33B, 34B or 35B in the toll post-payment system butpasses through the gate in a state where the radio card 10 is insertedin the on-vehicle apparatus 20 to automatically adjust a toll in thetoll post-payment system indirectly by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

To perform a depositing process from the depositing apparatus 70 on theradio card 10, the radio card 10 is inserted into the depositingapparatus 70, and the receiving unit 12 (the receiving antenna 13) andthe transmitting unit 14 (the transmitting antenna 15) of the radio card10 directly exchange information with the depositing apparatus 70 byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency to perform thedepositing process.

When the above-mentioned radio card 10 of this embodiment receives aread demand from the outside through the receiving antenna 13 and thereceiving unit 12, enciphered data, that is an object of the readdemand, and a plain-text encipherment key are read out from the storage11 by the command processing unit 16, and transmitted by thetransmitting unit 14 and the transmitting antenna 15. Encipherment oftransmitted data as above is effective to prevent information from beingintercepted when the information is transmitted from the radio card 10.

When the radio card 10 receives a write demand (enciphered data) throughthe receiving unit 12 from the outside, the deciphering unit 17deciphers an encipherment key, which is included in data to be written(the enciphered data), with a plain-text encipherment key stored in thestorage 11. The encipherment key check unit 18B then compares thedeciphered encipherment key, which is deciphered, with the plain-textencipherment key in the storage 11, to check the data to be written. Ifany fraudulent, invalid or improper act such as falsification has beendone on the data to be written in the radio card or the like, it ispossible to verify such data.

When the radio card 10 is inserted into the on-vehicle apparatus 20 orthe depositing apparatus 70, which performs a depositing process, thereceiving unit 12 receives a password input through the depositingapparatus 70 and the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency, and the password check unit 18Acompares the received password with a password which is obtained bydeciphering enciphered data for the password stored in the storage 11 bythe deciphering unit 17 to check on validity of a payer operating thedepositing apparatus 70 or a user inserting the radio card 10 in theon-vehicle apparatus 20 to use the system (a verification on theperson). These checks are effective to avoid a fraudulent, invalid orimproper use of the radio card. In addition to this, the aboveembodiment makes it possible to skip an input of the password in theevent of an actual adjustment of the payment so that the adjustingprocess can be carried out speedy.

(e) Description of On-vehicle Apparatus

Referring to FIG. 10, a structure of the on-vehicle apparatus (afrequency converting apparatus) 20 of this embodiment, which is mountedon the vehicle 30, will now be described. The on-vehicle apparatus 20has the radio card 10 inserted therein when the vehicle 30 passesthrough the toll adjusting gate 33B, 34B or 35B employing the tollpost-payment system to adjust a toll in the toll post-payment system, asstated before.

As shown in FIG. 10, the on-vehicle apparatus 20 of this embodiment hasa card communicating unit (a first communicating means) 21, an antenna22, an apparatus communicating unit (a second communicating means) 24,an antenna 25 and a password inputting unit (a keyboard) 26.

The card communicating unit 21 has a function for exchanging datanecessary for an adjustment process in the toll post-payment system withthe radio card 10 through the antenna 22 by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency when the radio card 10 is insertedtherein, and in addition a function for shutting off a radio wave at thefirst predetermined frequency, which is used to communicate with theradio card 10 to prevent the radio wave from being intercepted outsidethe on-vehicle apparatus 20.

The apparatus communication apparatus 24 exchanges data, which isnecessary for a toll adjusting process in the toll post-payment system,through the antenna 25 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency for the toll post-payment system with anexternal apparatus (the writing apparatus 40B, the settling apparatus50B or 60B).

When the radio card 10 is inserted into the on-vehicle apparatus 20, thecard communication unit 21 transmits data, which is received from theexternal apparatus by the apparatus communicating unit 24, to the radiocard 10 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency, andin addition transmits data received from the radio card 10 by the cardcommunicating unit 21 to the external apparatus by radio communicationat the second predetermined frequency.

Under a condition where the radio card 10 is inserted in the on-vehicleapparatus 20 at the toll adjusting gate 33B, 34B or 35B employing thetoll post-payment system, data for the toll pre-payment system at thefirst predetermined frequency is converted into the second predeterminedfrequency for the toll post-payment system through the cardcommunicating unit 21 and the apparatus communicating unit 24. Inaddition information at the second predetermined frequency is convertedinto the first predetermined frequency at the same time so that datanecessary for an adjusting process of the toll post-payment is exchangedbetween the writing apparatus 40B, the settling apparatus 50B or 60B atthe toll adjusting gate 33B, 34B or 35B and the radio card 10.

The password inputting unit 26 is configured with, for example, akeyboard. When the radio card 10 is inserted into the on-vehicleapparatus 20, the password inputting unit 26 is used to input a passwordin order to check on a validity of a user of the radio card 10. Thepassword input through the password inputting unit 26 is transmitted bythe card communication unit 21 to the radio card 10 through the antenna22 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency so thatthe password check unit 18A (refer to FIG. 9) in the radio card 10 cancheck on the validity of the user of the radio card 10 (a verificationof the person). The verification as to whether the user of the radiocard 10 is the person himself or herself when the radio card 10 isinserted in the on-vehicle apparatus 20 can be skipped by inputting apassword when the user actually adjusts the toll in the tollpost-payment system at the adjusting gate 34B or 35B. As a result, theadjusting process can be accelerated.

(f) Description of Writing Apparatus for Entrance Toll Adjusting Gate

Referring to FIG. 11, a structure of the writing apparatus 40A or 40B atthe entrance toll adjusting gate according to this embodiment will bedescribed next. The writing apparatus 40A or 40B is used to write theuse information about the toll road 31 (a tollhouse code, date and timeof the use, etc.) as adjustment information in the radio card 10. Thewriting apparatus 40A or 40B is installed at the entrance toll adjustinggate 33A or 33B on the toll road 31 where a toll according to a tripdistance is collected. According to this embodiment, the writingapparatus 40A at the toll adjusting gate in the toll pre-payment systemand the writing apparatus 40B at the toll adjusting gate in the tollpost-payment system have similar structures.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 41 denotes a transmitting/receiving unit(a communicating means). The transmitting/receiving unit 41 directlyexchanges information with the radio card 10 at the entrance tolladjusting gate 33A employing the toll pre-payment system by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency. At the entrance tolladjusting gate 33B employing the toll post-payment system, thetransmitting/receiving unit 41 indirectly exchanges information with theradio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication atthe second predetermined frequency.

In practice, the transmitting/receiving unit 41 modulates transmitteddata into a carrier wave at the first predetermined frequency or thesecond predetermined frequency, and supplies electrical energy necessaryfor the transmission to a transmitting antenna 42. In addition to this,the transmitting/receiving unit 41 demodulates a carrier wave at thefirst predetermined frequency or at the second predetermined frequency,which is received by a built-in receiving antenna 43, to output receiveddata (a response to the command) processable in a command issuing unit44 to be described later.

Reference numeral 44 denotes the command issuing unit (a demand issuingmeans). The command issuing unit 44 issues to the radio card 10 (1) anOpen command (an open demand) to open a designated file in the radiocard 10, (2) a Read command (a read demand) to read the designatedrecord in the opened file, (3) a Write command (a write demand) to writethe designated data in the opened file, and (4) a close command (a closedemand) to close the designated file in the radio card 10 through thetransmitting/receiving unit 41.

Particularly, the command issuing unit 44 in the writing apparatus 40Aor 40B of this embodiment issues a write demand (a Write command) to theradio card 10 to write the use information about the entrance tolladjusting gate 33A or 33B in the radio card 10 on the vehicle 30 passingthrough the entrance gate 33A or 33B through the transmitting/receivingunit 41. This command issuing unit 44 functions to write a tollhousecode (unique information) about the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A or33B stored beforehand in the storage 47 or passage date/time of thevehicle 30 issued by a passage date/time issuing unit 48 as the useinformation into the storage 11 (i.e., the use information file 11D;refer to FIG. 21) of the radio card 10.

The command issuing unit 44 issues a read demand (a Read command) to theradio card 10 to read the identification number and the term of validityretained in the storage 11 from the radio card 10 through thetransmitting/receiving unit 41 prior to issuing the write demand towrite the use information. This command issuing unit 44 functions toread the identification number and the term of validity from the radiocard 10.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a deciphering unit (a deciphering means).The deciphering unit 45 deciphers the identification number and the termof validity (enciphered data), which is read out from the storage 11 ofthe radio card 10, in response to the read command which is issued fromthe command issuing unit 44, and an encipherment key (enciphered data)which is attached to these data with a plain-text encipherment keyreceived at the same time.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a security function unit having a cardauthentication unit (an encipherment key check means) 46A, a valid termcheck unit 46B and a negative check unit 46C.

The card authentication unit 46A compares the plain-text enciphermentkey, received along with the enciphered data, with an encipherment keyobtained by deciphering the enciphered data by the deciphering unit 45to check information that is an object of the read demand.

The term validity check unit 46B checks whether the term of validity ofthe radio card 10 has expired or not based on the term of validity whichis received from the radio card 10. The negative check unit 46C performsa negative check using a system ID contained in the identificationnumber based on information provided from the host computer 90.

Incidentally, when the card authentication unit 46A, the term validitycheck unit 46B or the negative check unit 46C determines NG (No Good) ,this effect is sent from the command issuing unit 44 to the radio card10 or the host computer 90.

Reference numeral 49 denotes an enciphering unit (an enciphering means).The enciphering unit 49 enciphers data to be written in the storage 11of the radio card 10, which is included along with an encipherment key,with this encipherment key in response to the write demand from thecommand issuing unit 44.

In the above-mentioned writing apparatus 40A or 40B of this embodiment,when the vehicle 30 passes through the entrance toll adjusting gate 33Aor 33B on the toll road 31 where a toll according to a trip distance iscollected, the command issuing unit 44 issues a write demand to writethe use information, including a tollhouse code for the entrance tolladjusting gate 33A or 33B and passage date/time, to the radio card 10 onthe vehicle 30 (refer to FIGS. 23 and 27). This use information iswritten in the use information file 11D in the storage 11 of the radiocard 10. This write demand is directly transmitted by thetransmitting/receiving unit 41 to the radio card 10 by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency at the entrance tolladjusting gate 33A for the toll pre-payment system (refer to FIG. 23).At the entrance toll adjusting gate 33B in the toll post-payment system,this write demand is indirectly transmitted through the on-vehicleapparatus 20 by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency (refer to FIG. 27).

Since the use information, including the tollhouse code of the entrancetoll adjusting gate 33A or 33B and the passage date/time, is written inthe radio card 10 as above, it is, as will be described later, possibleto calculate a toll according to a trip distance based on the tollhousecode of the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A or 33B which is read outfrom the radio card 10 when the toll is automatically adjusted at theexit toll adjusting gate 34A or 34B. It is also possible to calculate atime period required for the vehicle 30 to reach the exit toll adjustinggate 34A or 34B based on the passage time at the entrance toll adjustinggate 33A or 33B to check whether the required time is reasonable or not.

If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act such as falsification hasoccurred to data in the radio card 10, a check on the encipherment keyby the card authentication unit 46A enables verification of such data.

Further, the term validity check unit 46B determines whether the term ofvalidity of the radio card 10 has expired or not, and the negative checkunit 46C performs a negative check on the radio card 10 to confirmcorrectness of the radio card 10, and to avoid a fraudulent, invalid orimproper use of the radio card 10.

Data to be read from the radio card 10 into the writing apparatus 40A or40B is enciphered, which is deciphered by the deciphering unit 45. Datawritten in the radio card from the writing apparatus 40A or 40B isenciphered by the enciphering unit 49. Thus, it is possible to preventinformation from being intercepted when the data is transmitted from theradio card 10 to the writing apparatus 40A or 40B, or from the writingapparatus 40A or 40B to the radio card 10.

The encipherment key is enciphered by the enciphering unit 49 along withthe data to be written into the radio card 10 at the same time, andtransmitted to the radio card 10. It is therefore possible to check thedata that is an object of a write demand by the above-describedencipherment key check unit 18B at the radio card 10.

(g) Description of Settling Apparatus for Exit Toll Adjusting Gate

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a description will be made next forstructures of the settling apparatus 50A for the exit toll adjustinggate in the post pre-payment system and the settling apparatus 50B forthe exit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-payment system accordingto this embodiment.

The settling apparatus 50A and 50B are each adapted to acquireadjustment information from the radio card 10 in order to automaticallycollect a toll for the toll road from a holder of the radio card 10based on the adjustment information. The settling apparatus 50A and 50Bare installed at the respective exit toll adjusting gates 34A and 35B onthe toll road where a toll is collected according to a trip distance.These settling apparatus 50A and 50B have similar structures as shown inFIGS. 12 and 13, respectively.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, reference numeral 51A denotes atransmitting/receiving unit (a communicating means) provided in thesettling apparatus 50A for the exit toll adjusting gate in the tollpre-payment system. The transmitting/receiving unit 51A directlyexchanges information with the radio card 10 by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency. Reference numeral 51B denotes thetransmitting/receiving unit (a communicating means) provided in thesettling apparatus 50B for the exit toll adjusting gate in a tollpost-payment system. The transmitting/receiving unit 51B indirectlyexchanges information via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 with the radiocard 10 by radio communication at the second predetermined frequency.

More specifically, each of the transmitting/receiving units 51A and 51Bmodulates transmitted data into a carrier wave at the firstpredetermined frequency or at the second predetermined frequency, andsupplies electric energy necessary for the transmission to a built-intransmitting antenna 52. On the other hand, each of thetransmitting/receiving unit 51A and 51B demodulates a carrier wave atthe first or the second predetermined frequency which is receivedthrough a built-in receiving antenna 53 to output received data (aresponse to a command) processable in a command issuing unit 54 to bedescribed later.

Reference numeral 54 denotes the command issuing unit (a demand issuingmeans). The demand issuing unit 54 issues an Open command, a Readcommand, a Write command and a Close command to the radio card 10through the transmitting/receiving unit 51A or 51B similar to thecommand issuing unit 44 described with reference to FIG. 11.

Particularly, the command issuing unit 54 in the settling apparatus 50Aor 50B of this embodiment issues a read demand to the radio card 10 toread out an identification number, a term of validity and adjustmentinformation (use information, balance information, etc.) retained in thestorage 11, or issues a write demand to the radio card 10 to writeadjustment result information obtained by a toll adjusting unit 57,which will be described later, for the radio card 10 to read theidentification number, the term of validity and the toll adjustmentinformation from the radio card 10 and to write the toll adjustmentresult information or the balance information into the radio card 10.

Reference numeral 57 denotes the toll adjusting unit (an application; atoll adjusting means). The toll adjusting means 57 automatically adjustsa toll for the toll road charged to the holder of the radio card 10 onthe basis of the toll adjustment information, which is transmitted fromthe radio card 10 in response to the read demand from the commandissuing unit 54 and which is received through the transmitting/receivingunit 51A or 51B.

The toll adjusting unit 57 in the settling apparatus 50A in the tollpre-payment system has a toll calculating unit 57A and a pre-paymentprocessing unit 57B. The toll calculating unit 57A calculates a tollcharged for the vehicle 30 on the basis of the tollhouse code includedin the use information, which is read out from the radio card 10, and avehicle type of the vehicle 30, which is input through a vehicle typeinputting unit 59 by an attendant of the exit toll adjusting gate 34A.The calculated toll is displayed on the toll display unit 36, and inaddition is transmitted to the totaling process unit 91 of the hostcomputer 90, and is to manage a total sum by the totaling process unit92 (Refer to FIG. 26).

The pre-payment processing unit 57B subtracts a charged toll, which iscalculated by the toll calculating unit 57A, from a balance included inthe balance information which is read out from the radio card 10, andoutputs a result of the subtraction as a new balance.

In the settling apparatus 50A for the toll pre-payment system, thecommand issuing unit 54 issues a write demand to write the adjustmentresult information, including a collected toll calculated by the tollcalculating unit 57A and distinction of payment (pre-payment), and thebalance information including the new balance, and this information iswritten in the radio card 10.

The toll adjusting unit 57 in the settling apparatus 50B for the tollpost-payment system has a toll calculating unit 57C and a toll claimprocessing unit 57D. The toll calculating unit 57C calculates a tollcharged for the vehicle 30 on the basis of a tollhouse code, included inthe use information which is read out from the radio card 10, and aresult of vehicle type recognition of the vehicle 30 output from avehicle type recognizing apparatus 108 (described later with referenceto FIG. 19) at the exit toll adjusting gate 34B.

The toll claim processing unit 57D claims payment of a charged tollwhich is calculated by the toll calculating unit 57C on a post-paymentprocessing unit 92 of the host computer 90 based on the personalinformation (an identification number, etc.) included in the tolladjustment information which is read out from the radio card 10.

In the settling apparatus 50B for the toll post-payment system, thecommand issuing unit 54 issues a write demand to write the adjustmentresult information, including a charged toll calculated by the tollcalculating unit 57C, and distinction of payment (post-payment), andthis toll adjustment result information is written in the radio card 10.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, reference numeral 55 denotes a deciphering unit (adeciphering means). The deciphering unit 55 deciphers variousinformation (enciphered data) and an encipherment key (enciphered data),which is attached to the data read out from the storage 11 of the radiocard 10 in response to a read demand issued from the command issuingunit 54, with a plain-text encipherment key received at the same time.

Reference numeral 56 denotes a security function unit. The securityfunction unit 56 has a card authentication unit (an encipherment keycheck means) 56A, a valid term check unit 56B, a negative check unit 56Cand a use date/time check unit 56D. The card authentication unit 56A,the valid term check unit 56B and the negative check unit 56C functionin the same way as the card authentication unit 46A, the valid termcheck unit 46B and the negative check unit 46C which were describedabove with reference to FIG. 11, so no additional description thereof ismade here.

The use date/time check unit 46D calculates a time required for thevehicle 30 to reach the exit toll adjusting gate 34A or 34B from apassage time (use date/time) at the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A or33B included in the use information which is read out from the storage11 of the radio card 10, and checks whether the required time isreasonable or not.

If the card authentication unit 46A, the valid term check unit 56B, thenegative check unit 56C or the use date/time check unit 56D determinesNG (No Good), this determination is sent through the command issuingunit 54 to the radio card 10 or the host computer 90.

Reference numeral 58 denotes an enciphering unit (an enciphering means).The enciphering unit 58 enciphers data and an encipherment key, to bewritten in the radio card 10 in response to a write demand from thecommand issuing unit 54, with this encipherment key.

To use the above-mentioned settling apparatus 50A of this embodiment,the vehicle 30 stops at the exit toll adjusting gate 34A if a toll inthe toll pre-payment system is adjusted at the exit toll adjusting gate34A on the toll road 31 where a toll according to a trip distance iscollected. At the exit toll adjusting gate 34A, information is directlyexchanged between the radio card 10 and the settling apparatus 50A byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency when the radiocard 10 is held against the settling apparatus 50A.

On this occasion, a read demand to read the use information and thebalance information is issued by the command issuing unit 54 to theradio card 10 (refer to FIG. 24). When the use information and thebalance information are read out from the radio card 10 in response tothe read demand, the toll calculating unit 57A of the toll adjustingunit 57 calculates a toll charged for the vehicle 30 based on atollhouse code included in the use information and a type of vehicle 30input by the attendance through the vehicle type inputting unit 59. Thecalculated toll is then displayed on the toll display unit 36.

The pre-payment processing unit 57B outputs a result of subtraction,which is obtained by subtracting a charged toll output from the tollcalculating unit 57A from a balance included in the balance information,as a new balance. The command issuing unit 54 issues a write demand towrite the adjustment result information, including the charged toll andpayment distinction (pre-payment), and the balance information includinga new balance (refer to FIG. 24), and this information is written in theradio card 10.

If a toll in the toll post-payment system is adjusted at the exit tolladjusting gate 34B on the toll road 31 where a toll according to a tripdistance is collected by applying the above-mentioned settling apparatus50B of this embodiment, the vehicle 30 passes through the exit tolladjusting gate 34B without stopping when the radio card 10 is insertedin the on-vehicle apparatus 20. At this time, data is indirectlyexchanged between the radio card 10 and the settling apparatus 50B viathe on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

The command issuing apparatus 54 issues a read demand to the radio card10 to read the use information and the personal information (anidentification number, etc.) from the radio card 10 (refer to FIG. 29).When the use information is read out from the radio card 10 in responseto the read demand, the toll calculating unit 57C of the toll adjustingunit 57 calculates a toll to be charged for the vehicle 30 based on atollhouse code included in the use information and a result of thevehicle type recognition of the vehicle 30 obtained by the vehicle typerecognizing apparatus 108.

The toll claim processing unit 57D claims payment of a charged toll onthe post-payment processing unit 92 of the host computer 90 based on thepersonal information (an identification number, etc.) After that, thecommand issuing unit 54 issues a write demand to write the tolladjustment result information, including a charged toll and paymentdistinction (post-payment) (refer to FIG. 29), and this adjustmentresult information is written in the radio card 10.

In the settling apparatus 50A and 50B, the card authentication unit 56Aperforms a check on an encipherment key similar to the writing apparatus40A and 40B previously described with reference to FIG. 11. If anyfraudulent, invalid or improper act such as falsification or the likehas been done on the data in the radio card 10, it is possible to verifysuch data with the writing apparatus 40A and 40B previously describedwith reference to FIG. 11.

The valid term check unit 56B determines whether the term of validity ofthe radio card 10 has expired or not, and the negative check unit 56Cperforms a negative check on the radio card 10. It is possible toconfirm correctness of the radio card, and further to prevent afraudulent, invalid or improper use of the radio card 10.

The data read out from the radio card 10 and written into the settlingapparatus 50A or 50B is enciphered. The deciphering unit 55 deciphersthis data. The data written in the radio card 10 from the settlingapparatus 50A or 50B is enciphered by the enciphering unit 59.Accordingly, it is possible to prevent information from beingintercepted when the data is transmitted from the radio card 10 to thesettling apparatus 50A or 50B, or from the settling apparatus 50A or 50Bto the radio card 10.

The enciphering means 59 enciphers both the data and the enciphermentkey to be written in the radio card 10 at the same time, and transmitsthem to the radio card 10 so that it is possible to check the data thatis an object of a write demand by the above-mentioned encipherment keycheck unit 18B.

In the settling apparatus 50A or 50B, the use date/time check unit 56Dcalculates a time required for the vehicle 30 to reach the exit tolladjusting gate 34A or 34B based on a passage time at the entrance tolladjusting gate 33A or 33B, which is included in the use information, tocheck whether the required time is reasonable or not. Accordingly, it ispossible to verify whether any fraudulent, invalid or improper act hasoccurred during use of the toll road, and further to avoid a fraudulent,invalid or improper use of the toll road.

(f) Description of Settling Apparatus for Entrance/Exit Toll AdjustingGate

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, a description will be made next for thestructures of the settling apparatus 60A for the entrance/exit tolladjusting gate in the toll pre-payment system and the settling apparatus60B for the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate in the toll post-paymentsystem according to this embodiment.

The settling apparatus 60A and 60B are adapted to acquire the adjustmentinformation from the radio card 10 in order to automatically adjust atoll for the toll road charged to a holder of the radio card 10 based onthe adjustment information. The settling apparatus 60A and 60B areinstalled at the entrance/exit toll adjusting gates 35A and 35B,respectively, on a toll road 32 where a toll is collected irrespectivelyof a trip distance.

The settling apparatus 60A and 60B have structures not only similar toeach other as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 but also similar to thestructures of the settling apparatus 50A and 50B which were describedabove with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. More specifically,transmitting/receiving units 61A and 61B, a transmitting antenna 62, areceiving antenna 63, a command issuing unit 64, a deciphering unit 65,a security function unit 66, a toll adjusting unit 67, an encipheringunit 68, a vehicle type inputting unit 69, and a vehicle typerecognizing apparatus 108 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 correspond thetransmitting/receiving units 51A and 51B, the transmitting antenna 52,the receiving antenna 53, the command issuing unit 54, the decipheringunit 55, the security function unit 56, the toll adjusting unit 57, theenciphering unit 58, and the vehicle type inputting unit 59,respectively, each of which has substantially the same function.

A difference between the settling apparatus 60A/60B and the settlingapparatus 50A/50B is that the settling apparatus 60A and 60B adjust atoll charged for the vehicle 30 on the toll road 32 where a fixed tollirrespective of a trip distance is collected. The settling apparatus 60Aand 60B, therefore, do not need to use information such as a tollhousecode, but only use a vehicle type information about the vehicle 30output from the vehicle type inputting unit 69 or the vehicle typerecognizing apparatus 108. In addition, a check based on a passage timeat the entrance toll adjusting gate is not performed since no entrancetoll adjusting gate is installed.

In consequence, the security function unit 66 does not include anycorresponding function for the use date/time check unit 56D shown inFIGS. 12 and 13. The toll calculating units 67A and 67C each calculatesa toll to be charged for the vehicle 30 based on the vehicle typeinformation about the vehicle 30 output from the vehicle type inputtingunit 69 or the vehicle type recognizing apparatus 108.

Excepting for the above points, the settling apparatus 60A and 60B havesimilar functions to those of settling apparatus 50A and 50B shown inFIGS. 12 and 13, and therefore no description of these functions is madehere.

To apply the above-mentioned settling apparatus 60A of this embodiment,the vehicle 30 stops at the entrance/exit gate 35A if a toll in the tollpre-payment system is adjusted at the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate35A on the toll road 32 where a toll irrespective of a trip distance iscollected. Data is directly exchanged between the radio card 10 and thesettling apparatus 60A by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when the radio card 10 is held against the settling apparatus60A.

On this occasion, the command issuing unit 64 issues a read demand tothe radio card 10 to read the balance information from the radio card 10(refer to FIG. 25). When the balance information is read out from theradio card 10 in response to the read demand, the toll calculating unit67A of the toll adjusting unit 67 calculates a toll to be charged forthe vehicle 30 based on a type of vehicle 30 input by an attendantthrough the vehicle type inputting unit 69. The charged toll is thendisplayed on the toll display unit 36.

The pre-payment processing unit 67B outputs a result of subtraction,which is obtained by subtracting the charged toll output from the tollcalculated unit 67A from a balance included in the balance information,as a new balance. The command issuing unit 64 issues a write demand towrite the toll adjustment result information, including the charged tolland payment distinction (pre-payment), and the balance informationincluding the new balance (refer to FIG. 25), and this information iswritten in the radio card 10.

To use the above-mentioned settling apparatus 60B of this embodiment,the vehicle 30 passes through the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35Awithout stopping when the radio card 10 is inserted in the on-vehicleapparatus 20 if a toll in the toll post-payment system is adjusted atthe entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B on the toll road 32 where atoll irrespective of a trip distance is collected. At that time, data isindirectly exchanged between the radio card 10 and the settlingapparatus 60B via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication atthe second predetermined frequency.

On this occasion, the command issuing unit 64 issues a read demand tothe radio card 10 to read the personal information (an identificationnumber, etc.) from the radio card 10 (refer to FIG. 32), while the tollcalculating unit 67C of the toll adjusting unit 67 calculates a toll tobe charged for the vehicle 30 based on a result of vehicle typerecognition obtained by the vehicle type recognizing apparatus 108.

Then, the toll claim processing unit 67D claims a charged toll by thepost-payment processing unit 92 of the host computer 90 based on thepersonal information (an identification number, etc.). After that, thecommand issuing unit 64 issues a write demand to write the adjustmentresult information including the charged toll and the paymentdistinction (post-payment) (refer to FIG. 32), and this adjustmentresult information is written in the radio card 10.

In the settling apparatus 60A and 60B, the card authentication unit 66Aperforms a check with an encipherment key similar to the writingapparatus 40A and 40B previously described with reference to FIG. 11. Ifany fraudulent or invalid act such as falsification has been done on thedata in the radio card 10, it is possible to verify such data.

The valid term check unit 66B determines whether a term of validity ofthe radio card 10 has expired or not, and in addition the negative checkunit 66C performs a negative check on the radio card 10 so that it ispossible to confirm correctness of the radio card 10, and to avoid afraudulent, invalid or improper use of the radio card 10.

Data read into the settling apparatus 60A or 60B from the radio card 10is in an enciphered state. The deciphering unit 65 decipher that data.Data written in the radio card 10 from the settling apparatus 60A or 60Bhas been enciphered by the enciphering unit 69. With this, it ispossible to prevent information from being intercepted when data istransmitted from the radio card 10 to the settling apparatus 60A or 60B,or from the settling apparatus 60A or 60B to the radio card.

Further, an encipherment key is enciphered by the enciphering unit 69along with data to be written into the radio card 10 at the same time,and then transmitted to the radio card 10. In consequence, it becomespossible to check data that is an object of a write demand by theabove-mentioned encipherment key check unit 18B at the radio card 10.

(i) Description of Depositing Apparatus

Referring to FIG. 16, a structure of the depositing apparatus 70 for thetoll pre-payment system of this embodiment will be described next. Thedepositing apparatus 70 is adapted to perform a depositing process forthe toll pre-payment on the radio card 10. The radio card 10 retains thebalance information that is an object of a charged toll, for the tollroad, when the toll is automatically adjusted at the toll adjusting gate33A, 34A or 35A in the toll pre-payment system.

In FIG. 16, reference numeral 71 denotes a transmitting/receiving unit(a communication means). The transmitting/receiving unit 61 directlyexchanges information with the radio card 10 which is inserted into thedepositing apparatus 70 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. More specifically, the transmitting/receivingunit 71 modulates transmitted data into a carrier wave at the firstpredetermined frequency, while supplying electric energy necessary forthe transmission to a built-in transmitting antenna 72, and demodulatesthe carrier wave at the first predetermined frequency which is receivedthrough a built-in receiving antenna 73 to output received data (aresponse to a command) processable in a command issuing unit 74 to bedescribed later.

Reference numeral 74 denotes the command issuing unit (a demand issuingmeans). The command issuing unit 74 issues an Open command, a Readcommand, a Write command and a Close command to the radio card 10through the transmitting/receiving unit 71 similar to the commandissuing units 44, 54 and 64 described hereinbefore.

In particular, the command issuing unit 74 in the depositing apparatus70 of this embodiment issues a read demand to the radio card 10 to readan identification number, a term of validity, depositing information (amaximum amount of deposit money) and balance information (a balance, amaximum balance) retained in the storage 11 from the radio card 10through the transmitting/receiving unit 71, or issues a write demand tothe radio card 10 to write depositing information and new balanceinformation obtained by a depositing process in a depositing unit 77 tobe described later a) to read the identification number, the term ofvalidity and the balance information from the radio card 10, or b) towrite the received money information and the balance information intothe radio card 10.

Reference numeral 75 denotes a deciphering unit (a deciphering means).The deciphering unit 75 deciphers various information (enciphered data)and an encipherment key (enciphered data), attached to this informationwhich is read out from the storage 11 of the radio card 10 in responseto the read demand issued from the command issuing unit 74, with aplain-text encipherment key received simultaneously.

Reference numeral 76 denotes a security function unit. The securityfunction unit 76 has a card authentication unit (an encipherment keycheck means) 76A, a valid term check unit 76B, a negative check unit76C, a ceiling sum check unit (a depositing money check means) 76D.Among them, the card authentication unit 76A, the valid term check unit76B and the negative check unit 76C function quite similarly to the cardauthentication unit 46A, the valid term check unit 46B and the negativecheck unit 46C previously described with reference to FIG. 11, so nodescription thereof is made here.

The ceiling sum check unit 76D in the depositing apparatus 70 performs acheck on the basis of a maximum sum and a maximum balance read out fromthe radio card 10 when the depositing unit 77 performs a depositingprocess to check a maximum sum (a limit of deposit money) depositable ata time by depositing unit 77 and a maximum sum (a limit of a balance)retainable in the radio card 10.

If the card authentication unit 76A, the valid term check unit 76B, thenegative check unit 76C or the sum ceiling check unit 76D determines NG(No Good), this determination is, for example, displayed on thedepositing apparatus 70 to notify a payer.

Reference numeral 77 denotes the depositing unit (a depositing means).The depositing unit 77 has a function to manage payment in cash or froma bank account in the depositing information file 11E in the storage 11of the radio card 10 as a history and to update the balance information.The depositing unit 77 adds a sum of money currently deposited to abalance included in the balance information, which is read out from theradio card 10 in response to a read demand from the command issuing unit74, to calculate a new balance, and outputs it.

The balance information including the new balance and the depositinginformation including a sum of the depositing money, a place of thisdeposit, a date and a time of this deposit are written in the radio card10 in response to a write demand which is issued from the commandissuing unit 74 as described hereinbefore. Whenever the depositingprocess is performed by the depositing unit 77, the ceiling sum checkunit 76D checks deposit money. If the ceiling sum check unit 76Ddetermines it to be NG (No Good), the depositing process is prohibited.Further, a balance which is obtained by calculation in the depositingunit 77 is transmitted to the totaling process unit 92 of the hostcomputer, and is used for managing a total sum by the totaling processunit 92 (refer to FIG. 26).

Reference numeral 78 denotes a password inputting unit. The passwordinputting unit 78 is configured with, for example, a key board, similarto the password inputting unit 26 previously described with reference toFIG. 10. The password inputting unit 78 is used to input a password inorder to check a depositor who is depositing money to the radio card 10when the radio card 10 is inserted into the depositing apparatus 70.

The password input through the password input unit 78 is transmitted bythe transmitting/receiving unit 71 to the radio card 10 through anantenna 72 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.The password check unit 18A of the radio card 10 checks the user (theperson verification) of the radio card 10 (refer to FIG. 9). If thepassword check unit 18A determines NG (No good), this determination isnotified from the radio card 10 to the depositor by, for example,displaying it on the depositing apparatus 70.

Reference numeral 79 denotes an enciphering unit (an enciphering means).The enciphering unit 79 enciphers data, to be written in the storage 11of the radio card 10 along with an encipherment key in response to awrite demand from the command issuing unit 74, with the enciphermentkey.

When the depositing process for the toll pre-payment system is performedon the radio card 10 in the above-mentioned depositing apparatus 70 ofthis invention, the radio card 10 is inserted into the depositingapparatus 70 and the transmitting/receiving unit 71 directly exchangesinformation with the radio card 10 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. The command issuing unit 74 issues a readdemand to read the balance information (a balance, a maximum balance)and the depositing information (a maximum amount of deposit money) fromthe radio card 10 (refer to FIG. 22).

When the balance information and the depositing information are read outfrom the radio card 10 in response to the read demand, the depositingunit 77 adds a sum of the money deposited this time to the balancesupplied from the radio card 10 in order to calculate a new balance. Thecommand issuing unit 74 then issues a write demand to the radio card 10to write the balance information including the new balance and thedepositing information including a sum of money deposited this time,place of the deposit and a date and a time of the deposit (refer to FIG.10). This information is written in the storage 11 of the radio card 10.Thus, the depositing process for the radio card 10 is completed.

In the depositing apparatus 70, a password is input through the passwordinputting unit 78 of the depositing apparatus 70 upon initiating thedepositing process for the radio card 10. The password is thentransmitted to the radio card 10 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency (refer to FIG. 22). The password check unit 18Achecks on the depositor who is depositing to the radio card 10 (personverification). In the event of actual toll adjustment in the tollpre-payment at the toll adjusting gate 34A or 35A, the verification ofthe person by inputting the password is skipped so as to accelerate theadjusting process.

In the depositing apparatus 70, a check with the encipherment key by thecard authentication unit 76A enables verification of data if anyfraudulent act such as falsification has been done to the data in theradio card 10, similar to the above-mentioned writing apparatus 40A and40B previously described with reference to FIG. 11.

The valid term check unit 76B determines whether the term of validity ofthe radio card 10 has expired or not, and the negative check unit 76Cperforms a negative check on the radio card 10, thereby verifyingcorrectness of the radio card 10, and further preventing a fraudulent,invalid or improper use of the radio card.

On this occasion, data read out from the radio card 10 into thedepositing apparatus 70 has been enciphered, which is deciphered by thedeciphering unit 75. Data written in the radio card 10 from thedepositing apparatus 70 has been enciphered by the enciphering unit 79.Accordingly, it is possible to prevent information from beingintercepted when the data is transmitted from the radio card 10 to thedepositing apparatus 70, or from the depositing apparatus 70 to theradio card 10.

Further, the encipherment key is enciphered by the enciphering unit 79along with the data to be written into the radio card 10, and istransmitted to the radio card 10 so that it is possible to check thedata that is an object of a write demand by the above-describedencipherment key check unit 18B at the radio card 10.

Still further, the ceiling sum check unit 76D checks a maximum sum (amaximum amount of deposit money) depositable at a time and a maximum sum(a maximum balance) retainable in the radio card 10 when the depositingapparatus 70 of this embodiment performs the depositing process.Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the balance from exceeding themaximum balance as a result of the depositing process, or to restrictdeposit of an excessive sum of money in the depositing process. If anyfraudulent, invalid or improper act has been done, it is, therefore,possible to minimize the damage.

(i) Description of Inquiring Apparatus

Referring now to FIG. 17, a structure of the inquiring apparatus 80 ofthis embodiment will be described. The inquiring apparatus 80 is adaptedto acquire information stored in the radio card 10.

In FIG. 17, reference numeral 81 denotes a transmitting/receiving unit(a communicating means). The transmitting/receiving unit 81 directlyexchanges information with the radio card 10, which is inserted in theinquiring apparatus 80, by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. More specifically, The transmitting/receivingunit 81 modulates data to be transmitted into a carrier wave at thefirst predetermined frequency, while supplying electric energy necessaryfor the transmission thereof to a built-in transmitting antenna 82, andin addition demodulates a carrier wave at the first predeterminedfrequency which is received through a built-in receiving antenna 83 tooutput received data (a response of a command) processable in a commandissuing unit 84 to be described later, similar to thetransmitting/receiving unit 71 previously described.

Reference numeral 84 denotes the command issuing unit (a demand issuingmeans). The command issuing unit 84 issues an Open command, a Readcommand, a Write command and a Close command to the radio card 10through the transmitting/receiving unit 81, similar to the commandissuing unit 44, 54, 64 or 74 previously described.

Particularly, the command issuing unit 84 in the inquiring apparatus 80of this embodiment has a function to issue a read command to readinformation (the balance information, the use information, thedepositing money information, etc.) designated by an inquirer throughthe keyboard 87 provided on the inquiring apparatus 80 and to read anidentification number from the radio card 10 via thetransmitting/receiving unit 81.

Reference numeral 85 denotes a deciphering unit (a deciphering means).The deciphering unit 85 deciphers the designated information (enciphereddata), which is read out from the storage 11 of the radio card 10 inresponse to the read demand from the command issuing unit 84, and anencipherment key (enciphered data), which is attached to this data, witha plain-text encipherment key received concurrently.

Reference numeral 86 denotes a security function unit. The securityfunction unit 86 has a card authentication unit (an encipherment keycheck means) 86A, and a negative check unit 86B. The card authenticationunit 86A and the negative check unit 86B function in quite the samemanner as the card authentication unit 46A and the negative check unit46C previously described with reference to FIG. 11, so no descriptionthereof is made here.

If the card authentication unit 86A or the negative check unit 86Bdetermines NG (No Good), this determination is notified to the inquirerby, for example, displaying it on the inquiring apparatus 80 (on adisplay 88A to be described later).

Reference numeral 88 denotes an expressing mechanism (an outputtingmeans). The expressing mechanism 88 is adapted to clearly output theinformation that is designated through the keyboard 87, which istransmitted from the radio card 10 in response to the read demand fromthe command issuing unit 81, and received by the transmitting/receivingunit 81. In this embodiment, the expressing mechanism 88 is configuredwith the display 88A for displaying the designated information thereonand a printer 88B for printing the designated information onto apredetermined paper. Print-out by the printer 88B is selectivelyinstructed through operation of the keyboard 87.

In order to obtain information stored in the radio card 10 using theabove-mentioned inquiring apparatus 80 of this embodiment, the inquirerinserts the radio card 10 into the inquiring apparatus 80, and thendesignates information that the inquirer wants to obtain through thekeyboard 87. The transmitting/receiving unit 81 directly exchangesinformation with the radio card by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. The command issuing unit 84 issues a readcommand to the radio card 10 to read the designated information from theradio card 10.

When the designated information (information that is an object of theinquiry) is read out from the radio card 10 in response to the readdemand, the designated information is displayed on the display 88A ofthe expressing mechanism 88. The designated information can be printedout by the printer 88B (by operating the keyboard 87) when desired.

FIGS. 34 through 36 show examples of output of the designatedinformation in the expressing mechanism 88. In FIG. 34, there is shownan example of an output when inquiry of all information is designatedwhere the personal information (a name, an address and a telephonenumber), histories of the balance and the depositing information and ahistory of the use information are displayed on the display 88 orprinted out by the printer 88B. FIG. 35 shows an example of output whena payment inquiry is designated where the personal information (a name,an address and a telephone number) and histories of the balance and useinformation are displayed on the display 88A or printed out by theprinter 88B. FIG. 36 shows an example of output when a depositing moneyinquiry is designated where the personal information (a name, an addressand a telephone number) and histories of the balance and the depositinginformation are displayed on the display 88A or printed out by theprinter 88B.

Thus, the expressing mechanism 88 can clearly output all of or part ofvarious information and history thereof stored in the storage 11 of theradio card 10. In consequence, it is possible to understand and confirmthe information in the storage 11 of the radio card 10 at any time sothat the holder can manage usage thereof. This leads to an improvementof service to the holder of the radio card 10.

In the inquiring apparatus 80, the card authentication unit 86A checkswith an encipherment key similar to the writing apparatus 40A and 40Bpreviously described with FIG. 11 so that, if any fraudulent, invalid orimproper act has occurred to data in the radio card 10, such data can beverified. The negative check unit 86B performs a negative check on theradio card 10 to confirm correctness of the radio card 10. This iseffective to avoid fraudulent, invalid or improper use of the radio card10.

Further, data read by the inquiring apparatus 80 from the radio card 10has been enciphered, which is deciphered by the deciphering unit 85 sothat it is possible to prevent information from being intercepted whendata is transmitted from the radio card 10 to the inquiring apparatus80.

Incidentally, it is alternatively possible that, in the inquiringapparatus 80, a password is input through the keyboard of the inquiringapparatus 80 during an inquiring process to the radio card 10, thepassword is transmitted to the radio card 10 by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency, then the password check unit 18A ofthe radio card 10 checks the depositor (the person verification) of theradio card 10.

(k) Description of Toll Adjusting Gate in Toll Post-Payment System

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, structures of the toll adjusting gates33B, 34B and 35B in the toll post-payment system according to thisembodiment will be described.

In order to adjust a toll at the toll adjusting gates 33B, 34B and 35Bemploying the toll post-payment system without requiring the vehicle 30to stop thereat, it is necessary to automatically recognize a type ofvehicle 30 (e.g., the vehicle 30 stops at the toll adjusting gate 34A or35A and an attendant recognizes a type of the vehicle 30 in the tollpre-payment system), and to automatically perform an adjusting processby the settling apparatus 50B or 60B while a result of the recognitionis correlated to a specific vehicle 30. When the toll adjusting gates33B, 34B and 35B are unmanned and the toll adjusting process isperformed without the vehicle 30 stopping thereat, there are no possiblemeasures to prevent a fraudulent, invalid or improper act by a vehiclepassing through.

According to this embodiment, the entrance toll adjusting gate 33B inthe toll post-payment system has a structure shown in FIG. 18, and theexit toll adjusting gate 34B in the toll post-payment system or the exittoll adjusting gate 35B in the toll post-payment system has a structureshown in FIG. 19.

As shown in FIG. 18, the entrance toll adjusting gate 33B in the tollpost-payment system is divided into two zones, that is, a passagerecognizing zone 104 and an image zone 105. In the passage recognizingzone 104, the writing apparatus 40B writes the use information includingunique information (tollhouse code, etc.) about the entrance tolladjusting gate 33B into the radio card 10 on the vehicle 30 passingthrough the entrance toll adjusting gate 33B by radio communication atthe second predetermined frequency. In the image zone 105, a camera (aphotographing apparatus) takes an image of a vehicle actingfraudulently, invalidly or improperly.

In each of the zones 104 and 105, a vehicle passage sensors 101A and101B, for detecting passage of the vehicle 30, are provided to carry outa process in each of the zones 104 and 105 if the sensors 101A and 101Bdetect passage of the vehicle 30.

More specifically, when the vehicle passage sensor 101A detects passageof the vehicle 30 in the passage recognizing zone 104, the writingapparatus 40B is activated to perform a writing process on the radiocard 10.

If the security function unit 46 determines it to be NG (No Good) in theevent of the writing process, or if the writing apparatus 40B and thevehicle 30 could not communicate normally with each other, the vehicle30 is regarded as an illegal, improper or invalid vehicle. Aphotographing mechanism 102 is activated to photograph a license plateof the vehicle 30 by the camera 103 when the vehicle passage sensor 101Bdetects passage of the vehicle 30.

On the other hand, the exit toll adjusting gate 34B in the tollpost-payment system or the exit toll adjusting gate 35B in the tollpost-payment system is divided into three zones, a vehicle typerecognizing zone 112, toll settling zone 113 and an image zone 114. Inthe vehicle type recognizing zone 112, a vehicle type recognizingapparatus 108 recognizes a type of vehicle 30. In the toll settling zone113, the settling apparatus 50B or 60B automatically adjusts a toll. Inthe image zone 114, a camera (a photographing apparatus) 110 takes aphotograph of a vehicle which acts fraudulently, invalidly orimproperly.

In each of the zones 112, 113 and 114, there is provided a vehiclepassage sensor 106A, 106B or 106C for detecting passage of the vehicle30. If each of the sensors 106A, 106B and 106C detects passage of thevehicle 30, a process is performed in each of the zones 112 through 114.

More specifically, when the vehicle passage sensor 106A detects passageof the vehicle 30 in the vehicle type recognizing zone 112, the personalinformation (ID) stored in the radio card 10 of the vehicle 30 isreceived through the on-vehicle apparatus 20 using a communicationfunction of the settling apparatus 50B or 60B by radio communication atthe second predetermined frequency. The vehicle type recognizingapparatus 108 is activated concurrently to recognize a type of vehicle30 on the basis of detected information output from a vehicle typedetecting sensor 107.

According to this embodiment, the on-vehicle apparatus 20 does notretain information about a type of vehicle 30. Thus, it is necessary tomeasure (i.e., a vehicle length measurement, a vehicle weightmeasurement, a wheel distance measurement, a license number read, etc.)from the outside to determine a type of vehicle 30. The vehicle typedetecting sensor 107 detects, for example, a length of the vehicle 30,and sends it to the vehicle type recognizing apparatus 108. The vehicletype recognizing apparatus 108 recognizes a type of vehicle 30 based onthe length.

When the vehicle passage sensor 106B detects passage of the vehicle 30in the toll settling apparatus 113, the settling apparatus 50B or 60B isactivated to receive the personal information (ID) and the adjustmentinformation through the on-vehicle apparatus 20 from the radio card 10on the vehicle 30 by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency. The settling apparatus 50B or 60B automatically adjusts atoll to be charged for the vehicle 30 based on a result of therecognition by the vehicle type recognizing apparatus 108 and theadjustment information which is received from the radio card 10 on thevehicle 30.

If the security function unit 56 or 66 in the settling apparatus 50B or60B determines it to be NG (No Good), or if the settling apparatus 50Bor 60B and the vehicle 30 cannot communicate normally with each other,the vehicle 30 is regarded as an improper or invalid vehicle. Then, thevehicle passage sensor 106C detects passage of the vehicle 30 in theimage zone 114, a photographing mechanism 109 is activated to photographa license plate or the like of the vehicle 30 by a camera 110. In thisevent, the personal information (ID) is received from the radio card 10of the vehicle 30 through the on-vehicle apparatus 20 using acommunication function of the settling apparatus 50B or 60B by radiocommunication at the second predetermined frequency.

According to this embodiment, the personal information received by eachof the zones 112 through 114 and a result of the process (a result ofvehicle type recognition, a result of adjustment and a result ofphotographing) in each of the zones 112 through 114 are input as a pairinto a vehicle matching unit 111. The vehicle matching unit 111 managesa result of the process in each of the zones 112 through 114 correlatedto a specific vehicle 30.

When receiving information with an ID, the vehicle matching unit 111stores various information such as a type of vehicle 30, a name of thetollhouse, a passage time, a toll, an image, etc. based on theinformation. If calculation of the toll is normal, the vehicle matchingunit 111 outputs the ID, the type of vehicle, the name of the tollhouseand the toll to the host computer 90, and deletes information relatingto this ID from the settling apparatus 50B or 60B. If calculation of thetoll is abnormal (i.e., if a toll cannot be calculated, if a use isfraudulent, invalid or improper, etc.), the vehicle matching unit 111outputs an ID and an image of the vehicle corresponding to the ID (aresult of photographing by the camera 110), or only the image to animage analyzing system (the host computer 90). The image analyzingsystem analyzes a license of an improper or invalid vehicle from aresult of the photograph, and takes measures to, for example, claim atoll from the owner of that vehicle.

At the above-described entrance toll adjusting gate 33B in the tollpost-payment system according to this embodiment, the writing apparatus40B writes the unique information about the entrance toll adjusting gate33B into the radio card 10 of the vehicle 30 passing through the passagerecognizing zone 104 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radiocommunication at the second predetermined frequency.

On this occasion, if the security function unit 46 of the writingapparatus 40B determines it to be NG (No Good), or if the writingapparatus 40B and the vehicle 30 cannot communicate normally with eachother, the camera 103 takes a photograph of a license of the vehicle 30when the vehicle 30 passes through the image zone 105.

In above-described exit toll adjusting gate 34B in the toll post-paymentsystem or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B in the tollpost-payment system of this embodiment, the vehicle matching unit 111manages a result of the process obtained in each of the zones 112through 114 on the basis of an ID, and in addition the vehicle typerecognizing apparatus 108 recognizes a type of vehicle 30 passingthrough the vehicle type recognizing zone 112 on the basis of a resultof the detection by the vehicle type detecting sensor 107 in the abovecondition.

When the vehicle 30 passes through the toll settling zone 113, a toll tobe charged for the vehicle 30 is automatically adjusted on the basis ofa result of the vehicle type recognition of the corresponding vehicle 30by the vehicle type recognizing apparatus 108 and the adjustmentinformation received from the radio card 10 on the vehicle 30.

If the security function unit 56 or 66 of the settling apparatus 50B or60B determines it to be NG (No Good) during the writing process, or ifthe settling apparatus 50B or 60B and the vehicle 30 cannot communicatenormally with each other, the camera 110 takes a photograph of a licenseplate or the like of the vehicle 30 when the vehicle 30 passes throughthe image zone 114.

As above, in order to write the unique information (a tollhouse code,etc.) of the entrance toll adjusting gate 33B into the radio card 10, itis sufficient for the vehicle 30 to simply pass through the passagerecognizing zone 104 without stopping at the entrance toll adjustinggate 33B. Similarly, in order to automatically adjust a toll in the tollpost-payment system, it is sufficient for the vehicle 30 to simply passthrough the three zones 112 through 114 without stopping at the exittoll adjusting gate 34B or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B.

The vehicle 30 doing any fraudulent, improper or invalid act, such asnonpossession of the radio card 10 or the like, is photographed by thephotographing apparatus in the image zone during the writing process atthe entrance toll adjusting gate 33B or during the adjusting process atthe exit toll adjusting gate 34B or the entrance/exit toll adjustinggate 35B. It is, therefore, possible to specify an improper or invalidvehicle from a result of the photographing after that, and to claim atoll or a forfeit to cope with an improper or invalid vehicle doing afraudulent, invalid or improper act such as nonpayment for the tollwhich is likely to happen in automatic toll adjustment requiring nostopping of the vehicle 30.

When the vehicle passage sensors 101A, 101B and 106A through 106C detectpassage of the vehicle 30, a process in each of the zones 104, 105 and112 through 114 is automatically performed. In consequence, it ispossible to accomplish an unmanned entrance toll adjusting gate 33B,entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 34B and entrance/exit toll adjustinggate 35B, and to realize labor saving in the adjusting process.

In each of the zones 112 through 114 at the exit toll adjusting gate 34Bor the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B, an identification numberis obtained from the radio card 10 on the vehicle 30 in each of thezones 112 through 114 so that a result of the vehicle type recognition,a result of the adjustment, and a result of the photographing which isobtained in each of the zones 112 through 114 can be correlated to aspecific vehicle 30 on the basis of that identification number (ID). Ifa plurality of vehicles successively pass through the toll adjustinggate 34B or 35B within a short period of time, it is possible to matchthe results of the processes, each obtained in each of the zones 112through 114, to manage them with certainty.

A type of vehicle 30 is automatically recognized in the vehicle typerecognizing zone 112 at the exit toll adjusting gate 34B or theentrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B of this embodiment, so there is noneed to retain the vehicle type information at the on-vehicle apparatus20. There has been proposed a system in which the vehicle typeinformation is retained at the on-vehicle apparatus 20. In such a case,falsification of data (for example, the on-vehicle apparatus for a smallsized vehicle is mounted on a large sized vehicle) is easy. However, afeature of this embodiment is that the vehicle type recognizingapparatus 108 at the exit toll adjusting gate 34B or the entrance/exittoll adjusting gate 35B recognizes a type of vehicle 30 passingtherethrough and is effective to positively avoid a fraudulent, invalidor improper use such as data falsification.

(l) Description of Operation Upon Selecting the Toll Pre-Payment Systemof This Embodiment

Referring now to FIGS. 22 through 25, data to be exchanged in the systemor between the apparatuses having the above structures for the tollpre-payment system will be described by way of a practical example.

To use the toll pre-payment system, it is necessary to pay money to theradio card 10 in advance through the depositing apparatus 70. When themoney is deposited by inserting the radio card 10 into the depositingapparatus 70, a read demand (a Read command), ID=A showing that thisdemand is issued from the depositing apparatus 70, and a password inputby the depositor through the depositing apparatus 70 are directlytransmitted from the depositing apparatus 70 to the radio card 10 byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency.

If the radio card 10 determines that a result of a check on the passwordis positive (OK), the radio card 10 directly transmits a plain-textencipherment key, an enciphered key, an identification number, a term ofvalidity, a maximum amount of deposit money, a maximum balance and abalance together with a signal of a positive response (or a negativeresponse if the check on the password results is negative) (NG) to thedepositing apparatus 70 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. Meanwhile, shaded portions in the drawingsreferred to hereinafter indicate enciphered data.

After the depositing process in the depositing apparatus 70, thedepositing apparatus 70 directly transmits a write demand (a Writecommand) together with ID=A showing that this demand is issued from thedepositing apparatus 70, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, a term of validity, a maximum amount of depositmoney, a maximum balance, a newly updated balance, and the depositingmoney information amount this deposit time (a place of deposit, a dateand a time of the deposit and a sum of the deposit money) to the radiocard 10 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.After this information has been written in the radio card 10, a response(OK/NG) is transmitted to the depositing apparatus 70.

When a user, carrying the radio card 10 which is subjected to the abovedepositing process, passes through the entrance toll adjusting gate 33Ain the toll pre-payment system on the toll road 31 where a tollaccording to a trip distance is collected, the user stops the vehicle 30at the entrance toll adjusting gate 33A, and directly holds the radiocard 10 against the writing apparatus 40A at the entrance toll adjustinggate 33A. The writing apparatus 40A, responsive to this action, directlytransmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=B showing that thisdemand is issued from the writing apparatus 40A to the radio card 10 byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency, as shown inFIG. 23.

The radio card 10, responsive to the read demand, directly transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number and a term of validity to the writing apparatus40A along with the positive (OK) response signal by radio communicationat the first predetermined frequency.

If various checks result in positive, the writing apparatus 40A directlytransmits ID=B representing that this demand is from the writingapparatus 40A, an enciphered encipherment key, an identification number,a term of validity, the use information (a type (entrance), a tollhousecode, a date and a time of the passage) along with a write demand (aWrite command) to the radio card 10 by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency. After this information has been written intothe radio card 10, a response (OK/NG) is transmitted to the writingapparatus 40A.

When passing through the exit toll adjusting gate 34A in the tollpre-payment system on the toll road 31 after passage through theentrance toll adjusting gate 34A, the user stops the vehicle 30 at theexit toll adjusting gate 34A, and holds the radio card 10 directlyagainst the settling apparatus 50A at the exit toll adjusting gate 34A.As shown in FIG. 24, the settling apparatus 50A directly transmits aread demand (a Read command) and ID=C showing that the read demand (aRead command) is issued from the settling apparatus 50A to the radiocard 10 by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency.

In response to the read demand, the radio card 10 directly transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered key, an identificationnumber, a term of validity, a balance and the use information, (type(entrance), a tollhouse code and a data and time of the passage)together with a positive response to the settling apparatus 50A by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency.

If the various checks result in positive, the settling apparatus 50Adirectly transmits a write demand (a Write command), ID=C showing thatthis demand is issued from the settling apparatus 50A, an encipheredencipherment key, an identification number, a term of validity, a newlyupdated balance, and the use information (type (exit), a tollhouse code,a date and time of payment, distinction of the payment (pre-payment), avehicle type/charge) to the radio card 10 by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency. After this information is written in theradio card 10, a response (OK/NG) is transmitted to the settlingapparatus 50A.

When the user with the radio card 10, which is subjected to thedepositing process, passes through the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate35A in the toll pre-payment system on the toll road 32 where a tollirrespective of a trip distance is collected, the user stops the vehicle30 at the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35A, and holds the radiocard directly toward the settling apparatus 60A at the entrance/exittoll adjusting gate 35A. In response to this action, the settlingapparatus 60A, as shown in FIG. 25, directly transmits a read demand (aRead command) and ID=D showing that this demand is issued from thesettling apparatus 60A by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency.

In response to the read demand, the radio card 10 directly transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, a term of validity and a balance together with apositive response to the settling apparatus 60A by radio communicationat the first predetermined frequency.

If the various checks result in positive, the settling apparatus 60Adirectly transmits a write demand (a Write command), ID=D showing thatthis demand is issued from the settling apparatus 60A, an encipheredencipherment key, an identification number, a term of validity, a newlyupdated balance and the use information (type (entrance/exit), atollhouse code, a date and time of payment, distinction of the payment(pre-payment) and a vehicle type/charge) to the radio card 10 by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency. After thisinformation has been written in the radio card, a response (OK/NG) istransmitted to the settling apparatus 60A.

(m) Description of Operation Upon Selecting the Toll Post-Payment Systemaccording to This Embodiment

Referring now to FIGS. 27 through 33, communicated data to be exchangedbetween the apparatuses when the toll post-payment system is selected,using the system and the apparatuses having the above-describedstructures, will be described by way of a practical example.

When the user, who selected the toll post-payment system, travels in thevehicle 30 on the toll road 31 where a toll according to a trip distanceis collected, the user passes through the entrance toll adjusting gate33B in the toll post-payment system in a condition that the radio card10 is inserted in the on-vehicle apparatus 20. On this occasion, thevehicle passage sensor 101A detects passage of the vehicle 30 in thepassage recognizing zone 104, as shown in FIG. 27, an application isactivated, and the writing apparatus 40B transmits a read demand (a Readcommand) and ID=E showing that this demand is issued from the writingapparatus 40B to the radio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 byradio communication at the second predetermined frequency.

In response to the read command, the radio card 10 transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, a term of validity together with a signal of apositive response to the writing apparatus 40B via the on-vehicleapparatus 20 by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency.

If the various checks result in positive, the writing apparatus 40Btransmits a write demand (a Write command), ID=E showing that thisdemand is issued from the writing apparatus 40B, an encipheredencipherment key, an identification number, a term of validity and theuse information (type (entrance), a tollhouse code and a date and timeof the passage) to the radio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 byradio communication at the second predetermined frequency. After thisinformation has been written in the radio card 10, a response (OK/NG) istransmitted to the writing apparatus 40B, and in addition a personal IDand a date/time of the passage of this vehicle 30 are managed on theside of the settling apparatus 40B.

When the user passes through the exit toll adjusting gate 34B in thetoll pre-payment system on the toll road 31 after passing through theentrance toll adjusting gate 34B, the vehicle passage sensor 106A, asshown in FIG. 28, detects passage of the vehicle 30 in the vehicle typerecognizing zone 112, an application is activated, and the settlingapparatus 50B transmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=F showingthat this demand is issued from the settling apparatus 50B to the radiocard 10 via the on-vehicle 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

In response to this read demand, the radio card 10 transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, a term of validity and the use information (atype (entrance), a tollhouse code, a date and time of the passage)together with a signal of a positive response to the settling apparatus50B via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency. When the vehicle type detecting sensor 107 andthe vehicle type recognizing apparatus 108 recognize a type of vehicle30, the vehicle matching unit 111 manages a result of the recognitionand a personal ID from the radio card as a pair. In this vehicle typerecognizing zone 112, no write process on the radio card 10 isperformed.

When the vehicle passage sensor 106B detects passage of the vehicle 30in the toll settling zone 113, an application is activated, and thesettling apparatus 50B transmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=Fshowing that this demand is issued from the settling apparatus 50B tothe radio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communicationat the second predetermined frequency.

In response to this read demand, the radio card 10 transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, a term of validity, and the use information (atype (entrance), a tollhouse code, a date and time of the passage)together with a positive response signal to the settling apparatus 50Bvia the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

If the various checks result in positive, the settling apparatus 50Btransmits a write demand (a Write command), ID=F showing that thisdemand is issued from the settling apparatus 50B an encipheredencipherment key, an identification number, a term of effective and theuse information (a type (exit), a tollhouse code, a date and time of thepayment, payment distinction (post-payment), a vehicle type/charge) tothe radio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communicationat the second predetermined frequency. After this information has beenwritten in the radio card 10, a response (OK/NG) is transmitted to thesettling apparatus 50B and in addition a result of the adjustment ismanaged by the vehicle matching unit 111 along with a result of thevehicle type recognition and a personal ID from the radio card.

If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act has been done, an applicationis activate when the vehicle passage sensor 106B detects passage of thevehicle 30 in the image zone 114, and the settling apparatus 50Btransmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=F showing that thisdemand is issued from the settling apparatus 50B to the radio card 10via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

In response to this demand, the radio card 10 transmits a plain-textencipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, an identificationnumber, a term of validity and the use information together with apositive response signal to the settling apparatus 50B via theon-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency, the camera 110 photographs the vehicle 30, andthe vehicle matching unit 111 manages a result of the photographingalong with the personal ID output from the radio card 10.

When the user, who selected the toll post-payment, passes through theentrance/exit toll pre-payment adjusting gate 35B in the tollpre-payment system on the toll road 32 where a fixed toll is collectedirrespectively of a trip distance, the user passes through theentrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35B when the radio card 10 is insertedin the on-vehicle apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 31, an application isactivated when the vehicle passage sensor 106A detects passage of thevehicle 30 in the vehicle type recognizing zone 112, and the settlingapparatus 60B transmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=G showingthat this demand is issued from the settling apparatus 60B to the radiocard via the on-vehicle apparatus by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

In response to this read demand, the radio card 10 transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, and a term of validity together with a positiveresponse signal to the settling apparatus 60B via the on-vehicleapparatus 20 by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency. When the vehicle type detecting sensor 107 and the vehicletype recognizing apparatus 108 recognize a type of the vehicle 30, thevehicle matching unit 111 manages a result of the recognition and apersonal ID output from the radio card 10 as a pair. In the vehicle typerecognizing zone 112, no writing process is performed on the radio card10.

When the vehicle passage sensor 106B detects passage of the vehicle 30in the toll settling zone 113, an application is activated, and thesettling apparatus 60B transmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=Gshowing that this demand is issued from the settling apparatus 60B tothe radio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communicationat the second predetermined frequency.

In response to this read demand, the radio card 10 transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, a term of validity and the use information (atype (entrance), a tollhouse code, a date and time of the passage)together with a positive response signal to the settling apparatus 60Bvia the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

If the various checks result in positive, the settling apparatus 60Btransmits a write demand (a Write command), ID=G showing that thisdemand is issued from the settling apparatus 60B, an encipheredencipherment key, an identification number, a term of validity and theuse information (a type (entrance/exit), a tollhouse code, a date andtime of the payment, distinction of the payment (post-payment) and avehicle type/charge) to the radio card 10 via the on-vehicle apparatusby radio communication at the second predetermined frequency. After thisinformation has been written in the radio card 10, a response (OK/NG) istransmitted to the settling apparatus 60B, and in addition a result ofthe adjustment is managed along with a result of the vehicle typerecognition and the personal ID output from the radio card 10 by thevehicle matching unit 111.

If any fraudulent, invalid or improper act has been done, an applicationis activated when the vehicle passage sensor 106B detects passage of thevehicle 30 in the image zone 114, and the settling apparatus 60Btransmits a read demand (a Read command) and ID=G showing that thisdemand is issued from the settling apparatus 60B to the radio card 10via the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency.

In response to this read demand, the radio card 10 transmits aplain-text encipherment key, an enciphered encipherment key, anidentification number, and a term of validity together with a positiveresponse signal to the settling apparatus 60B via the on-vehicleapparatus 20 by radio communication at the second predeterminedfrequency, in addition the camera 110 photographs the vehicle 30 and thevehicle matching unit 111 matches a result of the photographing togetherwith the personal ID output from the radio card 10.

The data exchanged between the apparatus as described with reference toFIGS. 22 through 25 and 27 through 33 are tabulated in Table 2 for easyunderstanding. In the Table 2, a term "toll gate" has the same meaningas a term "toll adjusting gate".

                                      TABLE 2                                     __________________________________________________________________________                   communication data                                                                            ceiling of                                                                         ceiling depositing                                       encipherment                                                                         identification                                                                      valid                                                                            depositing                                                                         of      money use                         system                                                                             apparatus                                                                             ID                                                                              key    number                                                                              term                                                                             money                                                                              balance                                                                           balance                                                                           information                                                                         information                 __________________________________________________________________________    pre- depositing                                                                         Read                                                                             A ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    ∘                                                                      ∘                                                                     ∘                                                                     --    --                          payment                                                                            apparatus                                                                          Write                                                                            A ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    ∘                                                                      ∘                                                                     ∘                                                                     ∘                                                                       --                               entrance                                                                           Read                                                                             B ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    --                               toll gate                                                                          Write                                                                            B ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    ∘                    exit toll                                                                          Read                                                                             C ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  ∘                                                                     --    ∘                    gate Write                                                                            C ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  ∘                                                                     --    ∘                    entrance/                                                                          Read                                                                             D ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  ∘                                                                     --    --                               exit Write                                                                            D ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  ∘                                                                     --    ∘                    toll gate                                                                post entrance                                                                           Read                                                                             E ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    --                          payment                                                                            toll gate                                                                          Write                                                                            E ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    ∘                    exit Read                                                                             F ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    ∘                    toll gate                                                                          Write                                                                            F ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    ∘                    entrance/                                                                          Read                                                                             G ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    --                               exit Write                                                                            G ∘                                                                        ∘                                                                       ∘                                                                    --   --  --  --    ∘                    toll gate                                                                __________________________________________________________________________

As shown above, the user can voluntarily select either the tollpre-payment system or the toll post-payment system according to thisembodiment so that service to the user of the toll road is largelyimproved. Further, the user need not open the window of the vehicle 30for the toll pre-payment system, and need not stop the vehicle 30 forthe toll post-payment system.

The structure of the system of this embodiment is expandable one tollgate at a time. For this reason, expansion work would not cause such asituation that the road is closed completely. Further, the securityfunction is largely strengthened so that an early detection of falsifieddata or a fraudulent use becomes possible. Moreover, the radio card 10can be recycled, so a pass is unnecessary.

In the toll pre-payment system, the system of this embodiment may beaccomplished by adding only a radio communication function to thesettling apparatus at a manned tollhouse in current use. In addition tothis, it is possible to reduce the work of an attendant at the tollhouseand readily comply with such a situation that the balance is short (forinstance, a deficiency may be payed in cash). On the other hand, in thetoll post-payment system, it is possible to achieve a completelyunmanned tollhouse. In addition, a shortage of the balance does notoccur in the payment of the toll.

In the above embodiment, the writing apparatus 40A, 40B, the settlingapparatus 50A, 50B and the settling apparatus 60A, 60B have differentstructures. It is alternatively possible that these writing apparatusand the settling apparatus have the same structure to be usable at anyone of the entrance toll adjusting gates 33A, 33B, the exit tolladjusting gates 34A, 34B or the entrance/exit toll adjusting gate 35A,35B.

In the above embodiment, the toll adjusting gate employing the tollpre-payment system is formed differently from the toll adjusting gateemploying the toll post-payment system. It is, however, possible thatthe same toll adjusting gate handles the adjusting process in either thetoll pre-payment system or the toll post-payment system.

In the above embodiment, the toll payment system is switched byinserting the radio card 10 into the on-vehicle apparatus 20. It isalternatively possible to provide a changeover switch to change afrequency output from the on-vehicle apparatus 20 by operating thechangeover switch so as to select the toll payment system. The manner ofthis embodiment in which the user directly holds the radio card 10 forthe toll pre-payment system, or the user inserts the radio card 10 inthe on-vehicle apparatus 20 for the toll post-payment system iseffective to prevent the user from forgetting to switch the frequency.

In the above embodiment, this invention is applied to a system where atoll for a toll road is collected. However, this invention is notlimited to this example. It is possible, for instance, that thisinvention is applied to systems for collecting various types of chargessuch as a charge for ski lift, a fare for train or bus, an admission feefor art gallery or museum, etc. In this case, this invention may havethe same effect as the above described embodiment.

In the embodiment, a changeover of communication between the firstpredetermined frequency and the second predetermined frequency for thedifferent payment systems is accomplished by inserting the radio card 10into the on-vehicle apparatus 20 or not (direct radio communication orindirect radio communication). Changeover of the frequency for thedifferent payment systems of this invention is not limited to the aboveexample. For instance, the frequency may be converted within the radiocard (a storage medium ) 10, or the frequency may be converted withinthe on-vehicle apparatus (a frequency converting apparatus or terminalequipment) 20 into which the radio card 10 is inserted. In the formercase of a system where the frequency is converted within the radio card10, the same effect as the above embodiment is available without theon-vehicle apparatus 20. In the latter case of a system where thefrequency is converted within the on-vehicle apparatus 20, as long asthere is provided a function such as an interface between the storagemedium and the on-vehicle apparatus 20, this invention may beaccomplished even without a radio communication function in the storagemedium itself as in the above embodiment, and the same effect as theabove embodiment is available.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automatic toll adjusting system forautomatically adjusting a toll, said system including a storage mediumfor storing adjustment information necessary for toll adjustment, saidstrong medium carried by each user, said automatic toll adjusting systemcomprising:a first toll adjusting gate, based upon a first toll paymentsystem, for exchanging information with said storage medium by radiocommunication at a first predetermined frequency, said first tolladjusting gate automatically adjusting a toll based upon said first tollpayment system; and a second toll adjusting gate, based upon a secondtoll payment system which is different from said first toll paymentsystem, for exchanging information with said storage medium by radiocommunication at a second predetermined frequency, said second tolladjusting gate automatically adjusting the toll based upon said secondtoll payment system.
 2. The automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 1, wherein said storage medium has a radio communication functionfor exchanging information with the outside by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency;said automatic adjusting systemfurther comprises a frequency converting apparatus for convertinginformation output at the first predetermined frequency from saidstorage medium into the second predetermined frequency and fortransmitting converted information to the outside by radiocommunication, and said frequency converting apparatus for convertinginformation output at the second predetermined frequency from theoutside into the first predetermined frequency and for transmitting theconverted information to said storage medium when said storage medium isinserted therein; wherein at the first toll adjusting gate, informationis directly exchanged with said storage medium by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency to automatically adjust the toll basedupon the first payment system; and wherein at the second toll adjustinggate, said storage medium is inserted in said frequency convertingapparatus, information is indirectly exchanged with said storage mediumvia said frequency converting apparatus by radio communication at thesecond predetermined frequency to automatically adjust the toll basedupon the second toll payment system.
 3. The automatic toll adjustingsystem according to claim 2, wherein said toll adjustment is for a tollroad where the toll is collected according to a trip distance, saidautomatic toll adjusting system further comprises:a writing apparatusinstalled at an entrance toll adjusting gate on said toll road, saidwriting apparatus for transmitting use information including uniqueinformation about said entrance toll adjusting gate to said storagemedium, which is on a vehicle passing through said entrance tolladjusting gate, directly by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency or indirectly via said frequency convertingapparatus by radio communication at the second predetermined frequencywherein said use information is stored in said storage medium asadjustment information; and a settling apparatus installed at an exittoll adjusting gate on said toll road, said settling apparatus forcommunicating with said storage medium or said frequency convertingapparatus by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency orat the second predetermined frequency to obtain said adjustmentinformation directly from said storage medium or indirectly via saidfrequency converging apparatus, said settling apparatus automaticallyadjusting the toll for the toll road charged to a holder of said storagemedium based on said adjustment information; wherein if the first tollpayment system is used, information is directly exchanged among saidwriting apparatus, said settling apparatus and said storage medium byradio communication at the first predetermined frequency toautomatically adjust the toll according to the first toll payment systemby said settling apparatus; and wherein if the second toll paymentsystem is used, said storage medium is inserted in said frequencyconverting apparatus, information is exchanged indirectly via saidfrequency converting apparatus among said writing apparatus, saidsettling apparatus and said storage medium by radio communication at thesecond predetermined frequency to automatically adjust the tollaccording to the second toll payment system by said settling apparatus.4. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 3, whereinwhen said settling apparatus automatically adjusts the toll, saidsettling apparatus transmits to said storage medium adjustment resultinformation including a charged toll adjusted by said settling apparatusand payment distinction indicating that a toll payment system in saidsettling apparatus is either the first toll payment system or the secondtoll payment system, and said settling apparatus writes the adjustmentresult information and payment distinction as use information in saidstorage medium.
 5. The automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 3, wherein information to be written in said storage medium isenciphered with a predetermined encipherment key to form enciphereddata, said predetermined encipherment key is set and stored asplain-text, which is not enciphered, in said storage medium;whenreceiving a read demand to read the information stored in said storagemedium from said writing apparatus, or said settling apparatus, saidstorage medium transmits a plain-text encipherment key and theenciphered data, which is the information that is an object of the readdemand, to said writing apparatus, or said settling apparatus; saidwriting apparatus, or said settling apparatus deciphers the enciphereddata, which is the information that is an object of said read demand,with said plain-text predetermined encipherment key transmitted fromsaid storage medium.
 6. The automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 5, wherein the enciphered data, which is the information that isan object of said read demand includes an enciphered predeterminedencipherment key, which is obtained by enciphering said plain-textencipherment key with said predetermined encipherment key;when saidwriting apparatus or said settling apparatus deciphers the enciphereddata, which is the information that is the object of said read demand,with said plain-text encipherment key, said plain-text encipherment key,which is received with said enciphered data, is compared with apredetermined encipherment key which is obtained by deciphering saidenciphered data, wherein said writing apparatus or said settlingapparatus checks the information that is the object of said read demandwhich is transmitted from said storage medium.
 7. The automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 5, wherein when said writingapparatus or said settling apparatus writes information in said storagemedium, said writing apparatus, or said settling apparatus enciphers theinformation which is an object of a write demand with said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key which is transmitted from said storagemedium to obtain enciphered data, and transmits the enciphered data tosaid storage medium to write the enciphered data therein.
 8. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 7, wherein when theenciphered data, which is the information that is the object of thewrite demand, includes an enciphered predetermined encipherment keywhich is obtained by enciphering said plain-text predeterminedencipherment key with said predetermined encipherment key;said storagemedium compared said plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isset and stored in said storage medium, with a predetermined enciphermentkey, which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered data which is theinformation that is the object of said write demand with saidpredetermined encipherment key wherein said storage medium checks theinformation which is the object of said write demand and which istransmitted from said writing apparatus or said settling apparatus. 9.The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 3, wherein anidentification number and a term of validity of said storage medium areset and stored in advance in said storage medium;when receiving a readdemand to read information stored in said storage medium from saidwriting apparatus, or said settling apparatus, said storage mediumtransmits said identification number and said term of validity alongwith the information which is the object of the write demand to saidwriting apparatus or said settling apparatus; said writing apparatus orsaid settling apparatus performs a check on said identification numberand said term of validity.
 10. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 3, wherein said writing apparatus writes a time ofpassage at said entrance toll adjusting gate in said storage mediumwhich is on the vehicle passing through said entrance toll adjustinggate;when said settling apparatus automatically adjusts the toll, saidsettling apparatus obtains said time of passage from said storage mediumto determine a required travel time based upon the time of passage andan arrival time at said exit toll adjusting gate.
 11. The automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 3, wherein at said exit tolladjusting gate using a toll pre-payment system as the first toll paymentsystem or the second toll payment system, said settling apparatusexchanges information with said storage medium, which is on the vehicle,to acquire said use information including said unique information aboutan entrance toll adjusting gate through which said vehicle has passedand balance information, obtains a result of recognition of a type ofvehicle, calculates a toll to be collected based on said use informationand the recognition result, subtracts said toll to be collected from abalance included in said balance information, and said settlingapparatus transmits to said storage medium said balance information,including a new balance which is a result of the subtraction, andadjustment result information including said collected toll and paymentdistinction indicating the pre-payment system to write said balanceinformation and adjustment result information in the storage medium. 12.The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 3, furthercomprising a vehicle recognizing apparatus disposed at said exit tolladjusting gate using a toll post-payment system as the first tollpayment system or the second toll payment, said vehicle recognizingapparatus for automatically recognizing a type of vehicle passingthrough said exit toll adjusting gate;said settling apparatus at saidexit toll adjusting gate exchanging information with said storage mediumon the vehicle for acquiring personal information included in saidadjusting information and said use information including said uniqueinformation about an entrance toll adjusting gate through which saidvehicle has passed, acquiring a result of recognition of the type ofvehicle from said vehicle recognizing apparatus, calculating a toll tobe collected based on said use information and said recognition result,and transmitting adjustment result information including said toll to becollected and payment distinction indicating the toll post-payment tosaid storage medium to write the adjustment result information as theuse information therein.
 13. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 12, said exit toll adjusting gate is divided intothree zones which are a) a vehicle recognizing zone for recognizing thetype of vehicle by said vehicle recognizing apparatus, b) a tollsettling zone for automatically adjusting the toll by said settlingapparatus, and c) an image zone for photographing an invalid vehicle bya photographing apparatus.
 14. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 13, wherein information is exchanged with saidstorage medium which is on a passing vehicle in each of said zones toacquire the personal information included in said adjustmentinformation, and a result of the vehicle recognition, a result of theadjustment and a result of the photographing obtained in the respectivezones are related to a specific vehicle based on the obtained personalinformation.
 15. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim14, wherein sensors for defecting passage of the vehicle are provided inthe respective zones, when said senors detects passage of the vehicle,said personal information is acquired from said storage medium which ison said vehicle in each of said zones and processing in each of saidzones is performed.
 16. The automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 3, wherein said entrance toll adjusting gate using a tollpost-payment as the first toll payment system or the second toll paymentsystem is divided into two zones which are a) a passage recognizing zonefor writing said use information including said unique information aboutsaid entrance toll adjusting gate into said storage medium which is onthe vehicle passing through said entrance toll adjusting gate by saidwriting apparatus and b) an image zone for photographing an invalidvehicle by a photographing apparatus.
 17. The automatic toll adjustingsystem according to claim 16, wherein sensors for detecting passage ofthe vehicle are provided in the respective zones, when said sensorsdetect passage of the vehicle, processing in each of the zones isperformed.
 18. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 2,wherein said toll adjustment is for a toll road where a fixed tollirrespective of a trip distance is collected, said automatic tolladjusting system further comprises:a settling apparatus installed at anentrance/exit toll adjusting gate located at either an entrance or anexit of said toll road, said settling apparatus for communicating withsaid storage medium or said frequency converting apparatus by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency or at the secondpredetermined frequency to obtain said adjustment information directlyfrom said storage medium or indirectly via said frequency convertingapparatus, said settling apparatus automatically adjusting the toll forsaid toll road charged to a holder of said storage medium based on saidadjustment information; wherein if the first toll payment system isused, information is directly exchanged between said settling apparatusand said storage medium by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust the toll according tothe first toll payment system by said settling apparatus; and wherein ifthe second toll payment system is used, said storage medium is insertedin said frequency converting apparatus, information is indirectlyexchanged between said settling apparatus and said storage medium viasaid frequency converting apparatus by radio communication at the secondpredetermined frequency to automatically adjust the toll according tothe second toll payment system by said settling apparatus.
 19. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 18, wherein when saidsettling apparatus automatically adjusts a toll, said settling apparatustransmits to said storage medium adjustment result information includinga charged toll adjusted by said settling apparatus and paymentdistinction indicating that a toll payment system in said settlingapparatus is either the first toll payment system or the second tollpayment system, and said settling apparatus writes the adjustment resultinformation and the payment distinction as use information in saidstorage medium.
 20. The automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 18, wherein information to be written in said storage medium isenciphered with a predetermined encipherment key to form enciphereddata, said predetermined encipherment key is set and stored asplain-text, which is not enciphered, in said storage medium;whenreceiving a read demand to read the information stored in said storagemedium from said writing apparatus, or said settling apparatus, saidstorage medium transmits a plain-text encipherment key and enciphereddata, which is the information that is an object of the read demand, tosaid writing apparatus, or said settling apparatus; said writingapparatus, or said settling apparatus deciphers the enciphered data,which is the information that is an object of said read demand, withsaid plain-text predetermined encipherment key transmitted from saidstorage medium.
 21. The automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 20, wherein the enciphered data, which is the information that isthe object of said read demand, includes an enciphered predeterminedencipherment key which is obtained by enciphering said plain-textencipherment key with said predetermined encipherment key;when saidwriting apparatus or said settling apparatus deciphers the enciphereddata, which is the information that is the object of said read demand,with said plain-text encipherment key, said plain-text encipherment key,which is received with said enciphered data, is compared with apredetermined encipherment key which is obtained by deciphering saidenciphered data wherein said writing apparatus or said settlingapparatus checks the information that is the object of said read demandwhich is transmitted from said storage medium.
 22. The automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 20, wherein when said writingapparatus or said settling apparatus, writes information in said storagemedium, said writing apparatus, or said settling apparatus enciphers theinformation which is an object of a write demand with said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key which is transmitted from said storagemedium to obtain enciphered data, and transmits the enciphered data tosaid storage medium to write the enciphered data therein.
 23. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 22, wherein theenciphered data, which is the information that is the object of thewrite demand, includes an enciphered predetermined encipherment keywhich is obtained by enciphering said plain-text predeterminedencipherment key with said predetermined encipherment key;said storagemedium compares said plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isset and stored in said storage medium, with a predetermined enciphermentkey, which is obtained by deciphering the enciphered data which is theinformation that is the object of said write demand with saidpredetermined encipherment key wherein said storage medium checks theinformation which is the object of said write demand and which istransmitted from said writing apparatus or said settling apparatus. 24.The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 18, wherein anidentification number and a term of validity of said storage medium areset and stored in advance in said storage medium;when receiving a readdemand to read information stored in said storage medium from saidwriting apparatus or said settling apparatus, said storage mediumtransmits said identification number and said term of validity alongwith the information which is the object of the write demand to saidwriting apparatus or said settling apparatus; said writing apparatus orsaid settling apparatus performs a check on said identification numberand said term of validity.
 25. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 18, wherein at said entrance/exit toll adjusting gateusing a toll pre-payment system as the first toll payment system or thesecond toll payment system, said settling apparatus exchangesinformation with the storage medium, which is on the vehicle, to acquirebalance information, said settling apparatus obtains a result ofrecognition of a type of vehicle, calculates a charged toll based onsaid recognition result, subtracts said charged toll from a balanceincluded in said balance information, and transmits a) the balanceinformation including a new balance which is a result of the subtractionand b) adjustment result information including said collected toll andpayment distinction indicating the toll pre-payment system to saidstorage medium to write the balance information and adjustment resultinformation therein.
 26. The automatic toll adjusting system accordingto claim 18, further comprising a vehicle recognizing apparatus providedat said entrance/exit toll adjusting gate using a toll post-paymentsystem as the first toll payment system or the second toll paymentsystem, said vehicle recognizing apparatus for automatically recognizinga type of vehicle passing through said entrance/exit toll adjustinggate;said settling apparatus at said entrance/exit toll adjusting gateexchanging information with said storage medium, which is on thevehicle, for acquiring personal information included in said adjustmentinformation, acquiring a result of recognition of the type of vehiclefrom said vehicle type recognizing apparatus, calculating a toll to becollected based on said recognition result, and transmitting adjustmentresult information including said toll to be collected and paymentdistinction indicating the toll post-payment system to said storagemedium to write adjustment result information as use informationtherein.
 27. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 26,wherein a host computer managing said settling apparatus withdraws thecharged toll calculated by said settling apparatus from a bank accountspecified in the personal information which is obtained by said settlingapparatus.
 28. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim26, wherein said entrance/exit toll adjusting gate is divided into threezones which are a) a vehicle recognizing zone for recognizing a type ofvehicle by said vehicle recognizing apparatus, b) a toll settling zonefor automatically adjusting the toll by said settling apparatus and c)an image zone for photographing an invalid vehicle by a photographingapparatus.
 29. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim28, wherein in each of said zones, information is exchanged with saidstorage medium which is on the vehicle passing therethrough to acquirepersonal information included in said adjustment information, and aresult of the recognition, a result of the adjustment, and a result ofthe photographing obtained in the respective zones are corresponded to aspecific vehicle based on the acquired personal information.
 30. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 29, wherein sensorsfor detecting passage of the vehicle are provided in said respectivethree zones;when said sensors detect passage of the vehicle, saidpersonal information is obtained from said storage medium which is onsaid vehicle in each of said zones, and processing in each of said zonesis performed.
 31. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim2, wherein if the first toll payment system or the second toll paymentsystem is a toll pre-payment system, said automatic toll adjustingsystem further comprises a depositing apparatus used for tollpre-payment by performing a depositing process for the toll pre-paymenton said storage medium;said storage medium retains depositinginformation output from said depositing apparatus for toll pre-paymentand balance information which is an object of a charged toll when thetoll is automatically adjusted at a toll adjusting gate in the tollpre-payment system; when said storage medium is inserted in saiddepositing apparatus for toll pre-payment, said depositing apparatuscommunicates with said storage medium by radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency to obtain said balance information, adds asum of money currently deposited to a balance included in said balanceinformation to obtain a new balance, and transmits the depositinginformation, including the new balance and the sum of money currentlydeposited, to said storage medium by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency to write the depositing information therein. 32.The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 31, wherein apassword of said storage medium is set and stored in advance in saidstorage medium;when said depositing apparatus performs the depositingprocess, said depositing apparatus transmits the password input throughsaid depositing apparatus to said storage medium by radio communicationat the first predetermined frequency; said storage medium compares saidpassword set and stored in said storage medium with the passwordtransmitted from said depositing apparatus to check on a payer to saidstorage medium.
 33. An automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 31, wherein information to be written in said storage medium isenciphered with a predetermined encipherment key to form enciphered dataand said predetermined encipherment key is set and stored as plain-text,which is not enciphered, in said storage medium;when said storage mediumreceives a read demand to read information stored in said storage mediumfrom said depositing apparatus for toll pre-payment, said storage mediumtransmits a plain-text predetermined encipherment key and the enciphereddata, which is the information that is an object of the read demand, tosaid depositing apparatus by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency; said depositing apparatus deciphers theenciphered data, which is the information that is the object of saidread demand, with said plain-text predetermined encipherment key whichis transmitted from said storage medium.
 34. The automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 33, wherein the enciphered data,which is the information that is the object of said read demand,includes an enciphered predetermined encipherment key which is obtainedby enciphering said plain-text encipherment key with said predeterminedencipherment key;when said depositing apparatus deciphers the enciphereddata, which is the information that is the object of said read demand,with said predetermined encipherment key, said depositing apparatuscompares said plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isreceived along with said enciphered data, with a predeterminedencipherment key which is obtained by deciphering said enciphered datawherein said depositing apparatus checks the information that is theobject of said read demand.
 35. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 33, wherein when information is written in saidstorage medium from said depositing apparatus, said depositing apparatusenciphers the information which is an object of a write demand with saidplain-text predetermined encipherment key, which transmitted from saidstorage medium, to obtain enciphered data, and said depositing apparatustransmits the enciphered data to said storage medium by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency to write theenciphered data therein.
 36. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 35, wherein the enciphered data, which is theinformation that is the object of said write demand, includes anenciphered predetermined encipherment key which is obtained byenciphering said plain-text predetermined encipherment key with saidpredetermined encipherment key;said storage medium compares saidplain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is set and stored insaid storage medium, with a predetermined encipherment key which isobtained by deciphering the enciphered data which is the informationthat is the object of said write demand with said predeterminedencipherment key wherein said storage medium checks the information thatis the object of said write demand which is transmitted from saiddepositing apparatus.
 37. The automatic toll adjusting system accordingto claim 31, wherein an identification number and a term of validity ofsaid storage medium are set and stored in advance in said storagemedium;when said storage medium receives a read demand to readinformation stored in said storage medium from said depositingapparatus, said storage medium transmits said identification number andsaid term of validity along with the information which is an object ofsaid read demand to said depositing apparatus by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency; said depositing apparatus performs acheck on said identification number and said term of validity.
 38. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 31, wherein a maximumamount of deposit money and a maximum balance of the storage medium areset and stored in advanced in said storage medium;said depositingapparatus obtains said maximum amount of deposit money and said maximumbalance along with said balance information from said storage mediumduring the depositing process by said depositing apparatus wherein saiddepositing apparatus checks said maximum amount of deposit money andsaid maximum balance.
 39. The automatic toll adjusting system accordingto claim 31, further comprising a totaling apparatus for totalingaccumulation of sums of deposit money written in said storage mediumfrom said depositing apparatus and for totaling accumulation ofcollected tolls transmitted from toll adjusting gates to said storagemedium for each storage medium to maintain a total sum that is a balanceof these accumulations.
 40. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 2, further comprising an inquiring apparatus forinquiring about information stored in said storage medium;when saidstorage medium is inserted in said inquiring apparatus, said inquiringapparatus communicates with said storage medium by radio communicationat the first predetermined frequency to acquire information stored insaid storage medium and to output the acquired information.
 41. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 40, wherein saidinquiring apparatus acquires only designated information from saidstorage medium, and outputs the designated information.
 42. Theautomatic toll adjusting system according to claim 40, wherein saidinquiring apparatus acquires a history of the designated informationfrom said storage medium, and outputs the history of the designatedinformation.
 43. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim40, wherein an identification number of said storage medium is set andstored in advance in said storage medium;when said storage mediumreceives a read demand to read information stored in said storage mediumfrom said inquiring apparatus, said storage medium transmits saididentification number along with the information which is an object ofthe read demand to said inquiring apparatus by radio communication atthe first predetermined frequency; said inquiring apparatus performs acheck on said identification number.
 44. The automatic toll adjustingsystem according to claim 40, wherein information to be written in saidstorage medium is enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key andsaid predetermined encipherment key is set and stored as plain-text,which is not enciphered, in said storage medium;when said storage mediumreceives a read demand to read information stored in said storage mediumfrom said inquiring apparatus, said storage medium transmits aplain-text predetermined encipherment key and enciphered data, which isthe information that is an object of the read demand, to said inquiringapparatus by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency;said inquiring apparatus deciphers the enciphered data, which is theinformation that is the object of said read demand, with said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key which is transmitted from said storagemedium.
 45. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 2,wherein a password of said storage medium is set and stored in advancedin said storage medium;when said storage medium is inserted in saidfrequency converting apparatus, said frequency converting apparatustransmits the password, input through said frequency convertingapparatus, to said storage medium by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency; said storage medium compares said password setand stored in said storage medium with a password transmitted from saidfrequency converting apparatus wherein said storage medium checks on auser of said storage medium.
 46. The automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 45, wherein a host computer managing said settlingapparatus for the exit toll adjusting gate withdraws the charged toll,calculated by said settling apparatus, from a bank account specified inthe personal information which is acquired by said settling apparatus.47. The automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 1, whereinsaid storage medium has a radio communicating means for exchanginginformation with the outside by radio communication; andsaid radiocommunicating means has a frequency switching means for performingswitching between said first predetermined frequency and said secondpredetermined frequency during radio communication.
 48. The automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 1, further comprising:aterminal apparatus mounting said storage medium thereon and interveningbetween said storage medium and the outside, said terminal apparatus forexchanging information by radio communication; said terminal apparatushas a frequency switching means for performing switching between saidfirst predetermined frequency and said second predetermined frequencyduring radio communication.
 49. A storage medium, with a radiocommunication function, for an automatic toll adjusting system, saidstorage medium carried by each user, said storage medium comprising:astoring means for storing adjustment information necessary for tolladjustment therein; a receiving means for receiving information from theoutside by radio communication at a first predetermined frequency; aprocessing means for reading information stored in said storage mediumand for writing information into said storage medium based on theinformation received by said receiving means; and a transmitting meansfor transmitting responsive information including the information fromsaid storing means to the outside by the radio communication at thefirst predetermined frequency; wherein at a first toll adjusting gatebased upon a first toll payment system, information being directlyexchanged between said storage medium and said first toll adjusting gateby radio communication at the first predetermined frequency; and whereinat a second toll adjusting gate based upon a second toll payment systemwhich is different from said first toll payment system, said storagemedium indirectly exchanging information via a frequency convertingapparatus, through said receiving means and said transmitting means,with said second toll adjusting gate by radio communication at a secondpredetermined frequency, said storage medium being inserted in saidfrequency converting apparatus, said frequency converting apparatusconverting information at the first predetermined frequency into thesecond predetermined frequency, and converting information at the secondpredetermined frequency into the first predetermined frequency.
 50. Thestorage medium, with a radio communication function, for an automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 49, wherein said storing meansretains information as enciphered data which is obtained by encipheringsaid information from the outside with a predetermined encipherment key,wherein said predetermined encipherment key being plain-text which isnot enciphered;when said processing means receives a read demand fromthe outside through said receiving means, said processing means readsenciphered data, which is information that is an object of the readdemand, and a plain-text predetermined encipherment key from saidstoring means and transmits the enciphered data and the plain-textpredetermined encipherment key through said transmitting means.
 51. Thestorage medium, with a radio communication function, for an automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 49, further comprising:adeciphering means for deciphering an encipherment key included inenciphered data, which is an object of a write demand and saidencipherment key used to encipher the enciphered data with a plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is stored in said storing means,when said storage medium receives the write demand corresponding totransmission of information that is an object of said read demand fromthe outside through said receiving means; and an encipherment key checkmeans for comparing an encipherment key, which is deciphered by saiddeciphering means, with said plain-text predetermined encipherment keystored in said storing means wherein said encipherment key check meanschecks the information that is the object of the write demand.
 52. Thestorage medium, with a radio communication function, for an automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 49, wherein a password is setand stored in advance in said storing means;said storage medium furthercomprises a password check means for comparing a password, accompanyinga read demand, with said password stored in said storing means when saidstorage medium receives the read demand, accompanied by the password,through said receiving means during a depositing process for tollpre-payment wherein said storage medium checks on a depositor.
 53. Thestorage medium, with a radio communication function, for an automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 49, wherein a password is setand stored in advance in said storing means;said storage medium furthercomprises a password check means for comparing a received password withsaid password in said storing means to check a user if said storagemedium receives a password, input from said frequency convertingapparatus, through said receiving means when said storage medium isinserted into said frequency converting apparatus.
 54. A frequencyconverting apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system, saidfrequency converting apparatus provided in a vehicle and into which astorage medium is inserted, said storage medium having a radiocommunication function and storing adjustment information necessary fortoll adjustment, said storage medium carried by each user and exchanginginformation with the outside by radio communication at a firstpredetermined frequency, said frequency converting apparatuscomprising:a first communicating means for exchanging information withsaid storage medium by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when said storage medium in inserted in said frequencyconverting apparatus; and a second communication means for exchanginginformation with the outside by radio communication at a secondpredetermined frequency; wherein when said storage medium is inserted insaid frequency converting apparatus, said first communicating meanstransmitting information, which is received from the outside throughsaid second communication means, to said storage medium by radiocommunication at the first predetermined frequency, said secondcommunication means transmitting information, which is received fromsaid storage medium through said first communicating means, to theoutside by radio communication at the second predetermined frequency;and wherein at a toll adjusting gate, when said storage medium isinserted in said frequency converting apparatus, information beingexchanged between said toll adjusting gate and said storage medium viasaid first communicating means and said second communicating means. 55.The frequency converting apparatus for an automatic toll adjustingsystem according to claim 54, wherein if a password of said storagemedium is set and stored in advance in said storage medium, saidfrequency converting apparatus further comprises an inputting means forinputting a password which is used to check a user of the storage mediumwhen said storage medium is inserted in said frequency convertingapparatus;said password input through input through said inputting meansbeing transmitted by said first communicating means to said storagemedium by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency. 56.A writing apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system, said writingapparatus for writing use information, necessary for toll adjustment, asadjustment information into a storage medium having a radiocommunication function, said storage medium carried by each user, saidstorage medium storing said adjustment information therein andexchanging information with the outside by radio communication at afirst predetermined frequency, said writing apparatus comprising:acommunicating means for exchanging information with said storage mediumby radio communication at the first predetermined frequency at anentrance toll adjusting gate using a first toll payment system, and forexchanging information with said storage medium by radio communicationat a second predetermined frequency at an entrance toll adjusting gateusing a second toll payment system which is different from said firsttoll payment system; and a demand issuing means for issuing a writedemand to said storage medium through said communicating means to writethe use information about the entrance toll adjusting gate on saidstorage medium; wherein, when a user carrying said storage medium passesthrough the entrance toll adjusting gate, said demand issuing meansissuing a write demand to write the use information, including uniqueinformation about said entrance toll adjusting gate, on said storagemedium.
 57. The writing apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 56, wherein said use information includes a time ofpassage of a vehicle through said entrance toll adjusting gate.
 58. Thewriting apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 57, wherein if an identification number and a term of validity ofsaid storage medium are set and stored in advance in said storagemedium, when a user carrying said storage medium passes through theentrance toll adjusting gate, said demand issuing means issues a readdemand to the storage medium to read said identification number and theterm of validity through said communicating means prior to issuing awrite demand to write said use information;said writing apparatusfurther comprises a check means for performing a check on saididentification number and said term of validity when said writingapparatus receives said identification number and said term of validitytransmitted from said storage medium through said communicating means inresponse to said read demand.
 59. The writing apparatus for an automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 58, wherein if information insaid storage medium is enciphered with a predetermined encipherment keyto form enciphered data and said storage medium retains saidpredetermined encipherment key as plain-text which is not enciphered,said writing apparatus receives enciphered data for said identificationnumber and said term of validity and a plain-text predeterminedencipherment key from said storage medium through said communicatingmeans in response to said read demand from said demand issuing means,said writing apparatus further comprises a deciphering means fordeciphering the enciphered data for said identification number and saidterm of validity with said plain-text predetermined encipherment key.60. The writing apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting systemaccording to claim 59, wherein if the enciphered data for saididentification number and said term of validity includes an encipheredencipherment key, which is obtained by enciphering said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key with said predetermined encipherment key,said writing apparatus further comprises an encipherment key check meansfor comparing said plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isreceived along with said enciphered data, with a predeterminedencipherment key, which is obtained by deciphering said enciphered databy said deciphering means, wherein said encipherment key check meanschecks the information that is an object of the read demand.
 61. Thewriting apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 59, further comprising an enciphering means for enciphering saiduse information that is an object of a write demand issued from saiddemand issuing means to write said use information in said storagemedium, said use information enciphered based on said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key which is received along with saidenciphered data.
 62. The writing apparatus for an automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 61, wherein said enciphering meansenciphers said plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which is usedfor enciphering, with said predetermined encipherment key, saidenciphered predetermined encipherment key is included in the enciphereddata, which is the information that is an object of the write demand, towrite the information in said storage medium.
 63. The writing apparatusfor an automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 56, wherein ifan identification number and a term of validity of said storage mediumare set and stored in advance in said storage medium, when a usercarrying said storage medium passes through the entrance toll adjustinggate, said demand issuing means issues a read demand to the storagemedium to read said identification number and the term of validitythrough said communicating means prior to issuing a write demand towrite said use information;said writing apparatus further comprises acheck means for performing a check on said identification number andsaid term of validity when said writing apparatus receives saididentification number and said term of validity which are transmittedfrom said storage medium through said communicating means in response tosaid read demand.
 64. The writing apparatus for an automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 63, wherein if information in saidstorage medium is enciphered with a predetermined encipherment key toform enciphered data and said storage medium retains said predeterminedencipherment key as a plain-text which is not enciphered, said writingapparatus receives enciphered data for said identification number andsaid term of validity and a plain-text predetermined encipherment keyfrom said storage medium through said communicating means in response tosaid read demand from said demand issuing means, said writing apparatusfurther comprises a deciphering means for deciphering the enciphereddata for said identification number and said term of validity with saidplain-text predetermined encipherment key.
 65. The writing apparatus foran automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 64, wherein if theenciphered data for said identification number and said term of validityincludes an enciphered encipherment key, which is obtained byenciphering said plain-text predetermined encipherment key with saidpredetermined encipherment key, said writing apparatus further comprisesan encipherment key check means for comparing said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is received along with saidenciphered data, with a predetermined encipherment key, which isobtained by deciphering said enciphered data by said deciphering means,wherein said encipherment key check means checks the information that isan object of the read demand.
 66. The writing apparatus for an automatictoll adjusting system according to claim 64, further comprising anenciphering means for enciphering said use information that is an objectof a write demand, issued from said demand issue means to write said useinformation in said storage medium, said use information encipheredbased on of said plain-text predetermined encipherment key which isreceived along with said enciphered data.
 67. The writing apparatus foran automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 66, wherein saidenciphering means enciphers said plain-text predetermined enciphermentkey, which is used for enciphering, with said predetermined enciphermentkey, said enciphered predetermined encipherment key is included in theenciphered data, which is the information that is an object of the writedemand, to write the information in said storage medium.
 68. A settlingapparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system, said settlingapparatus for acquiring adjustment information, from a storage mediumhaving a radio communication function, to automatically adjust a tollcharged to a holder of said storage medium based on said adjustmentinformation, said storage medium being carried by each user, saidstorage medium for storing said adjustment information, which isnecessary for toll adjustment, therein and exchanging information withthe outside by radio communication at a first predetermined frequency,said settling apparatus comprising:a communicating means for exchanginginformation with said storage medium by radio communication at the firstpredetermined frequency at a toll adjusting gate which uses a first tollpayment system, and for exchanging information with said storage mediumby radio communication at a second predetermined frequency at a tolladjusting gate which uses a second toll payment system which isdifferent from said first toll payment system; a demand issuing meansfor issuing a read demand to said storage medium through saidcommunicating means to read said adjustment information from saidstorage medium and for issuing a write demand to said storage mediumthrough said communicating means to write adjustment result informationto said storage medium; and a toll adjusting means for automaticallyadjusting the toll charged to the holder of said storage medium based onsaid adjustment information received from said storage medium throughsaid communicating means in response to said read demand from saiddemand issuing means; when the user carrying said storage medium passesthrough the toll adjusting gate, said demand issuing means issuing aread demand to said storage medium through said communicating means toread said adjustment information; when said settling apparatus receivessaid adjustment information from said storage medium through saidcommunicating means in response to said read demand, said toll adjustingmeans automatically adjusting the toll charged the holder of saidstorage medium based on said received adjustment information; saiddemand issuing means issuing a write demand to write adjustment resultinformation including a charged toll adjusted by said toll adjustingmeans and payment distinction indicating whether a toll payment systemis a first toll payment system or a second toll payment system to saidstorage medium through said communicating means.
 69. The settlingapparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system according to claim 68,wherein if an identification number and a term of validity of saidstorage medium are set and stored in advance in said storage medium,said demand issuing means issues a read demand to said storage mediumthrough said communicating means to read said identification number andsaid term of validity when a settling process is initiated;said settlingapparatus further comprises a check means for performing a check on saididentification number and said term of validity when said settlingapparatus receives said identification number and said term of validityfrom said storage medium through said communicating means in response tosaid read demand.
 70. The settling apparatus for an automatic tolladjusting system according to claim 69, wherein if the information insaid storage medium is enciphered with a predetermined encipherment keyto form enciphered data and said storage medium retains saidpredetermined encipherment key as plain-text which is not enciphered,said settling apparatus receives enciphered data, which is informationthat is an object of a read demand, and a plain-text predeterminedencipherment key from said storage medium through said communicatingmeans in response to said read demand from said demand issuingmeans;said settling apparatus further comprises a deciphering means fordeciphering enciphered data for said identification number and said termof validity with said plain-text predetermined encipherment key.
 71. Thesettling apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 70, wherein if the enciphered data, which is the information thatis an object of said read demand, includes an enciphered predeterminedencipherment key which is obtained by enciphering said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key with said predetermined encipherment key,said settling apparatus further comprises an encipherment key check unitfor comparing said plain-text predetermined encipherment key, which isreceived along with said enciphered data, with a predeterminedencipherment key which is obtained by deciphering said enciphered databy said deciphering means, wherein said encipherment key check unitchecks the information that is the object of said read demand.
 72. Thesettling apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system according toclaim 70, further comprising an enciphering means for enciphering saidadjustment result information, which is an object of the write demand,from said demand issuing means to write the adjustment resultinformation in said storage medium with said plain-text predeterminedencipherment key which is received along with said enciphered data. 73.The settling apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system accordingto claim 72, wherein said enciphering means enciphers said plain-textpredetermined encipherment key, which is used for enciphering, with saidpredetermined encipherment key;said enciphered predeterminedencipherment key is included in enciphered data, which is theinformation that is an object of a write demand, to write theinformation in said storage medium.
 74. An automatic toll adjustmentsystem for automatically adjusting a toll, said automatic tolladjustment system including a storage medium for storing adjustmentinformation necessary for toll adjustment, said storage medium carriedby each user, said automatic toll adjustment system comprising:a tolladjustment gate for exchanging information with said storage medium byradio communication at one of a first predetermined frequency and asecond predetermined frequency, said toll adjustment gate exchanginginformation at said first predetermined frequency when a toll isautomatically adjusted based upon a first toll payment system and saidtoll adjustment gate exchanging information at said second predeterminedfrequency when a toll is automatically adjusted based upon a second tollpayment system which is different from said first toll payment system.75. A storage medium, with a radio communication function, for anautomatic toll adjusting system, said storage medium carried by eachuser, said storage medium comprising:a storing means for storingadjustment information necessary for toll adjustment therein; areceiving means for receiving information from the outside by radiocommunication at a first predetermined frequency; a processing means forreading information stored in the storage medium and for writinginformation into said storage medium based on information received bysaid receiving means; and transmitting means for transmitting responsiveinformation, including the information from said storage means, to theoutside by radio communication at the first predetermined frequency,wherein said storage medium directly communicating with a toll adjustinggate by radio communication at a first predetermined frequency when saidtoll adjustment gate adjusts a toll based upon a first toll paymentsystem and said storage medium indirectly communicating with said tolladjustment gate at a second predetermined frequency through a frequencyconverting apparatus when said toll adjusting gate adjusts the tollbased upon a second toll payment system which is different from thefirst toll payment system.
 76. A frequency converting apparatus for anautomatic toll adjusting system, a storage medium is inserted into saidfrequency converting apparatus, said storage medium having a radiocommunication function and storing adjustment information necessary fortoll adjustment, said storage medium carried by each user and exchanginginformation with the outside by radio communication at a firstpredetermined frequency, said frequency converting apparatuscomprising:a first communicating means for exchanging information withthe storage medium by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency when said storage medium is inserted in said frequencyconverting apparatus; and second communicating means for exchanginginformation with a toll adjusting gate by radio communication at asecond predetermined frequency; wherein, when said storage medium isinserted in said frequency converting apparatus, said firstcommunicating means transmitting information, which is received from thetoll adjusting gate, through said second communicating means to saidstorage medium by radio communication at the first predeterminedfrequency, said second communicating means transmitting information,which is received from the storage medium, through said firstcommunicating means to the toll adjusting gate by radio communication atthe second predetermined frequency.
 77. A writing apparatus for anautomatic toll adjusting system, said writing apparatus for writing useinformation, necessary for toll adjustment, as adjustment informationinto a storage medium having a radio communication function, saidstorage medium carried by each user, said storage medium storing saidadjustment information therein and exchanging information with theoutside by radio communication at a first predetermined frequency, saidwriting apparatus comprising:a communicating means for exchanginginformation with said storage medium by radio communication at a tolladjusting gate at one of a first predetermined frequency and a secondpredetermined frequency, said communicating means exchanging informationat the first predetermined frequency when said toll adjusting gateadjusts a toll using a first toll payment system and said communicatingmeans exchanges information with the storage means using the secondpredetermined frequency when the toll adjusting gate adjusts tolls usinga second toll payment system which is different from the first tollpayment system; and a demand issuing means for issuing a write demand tosaid storage medium to write the use information about the tolladjusting gate on said storage medium through said communicating means.78. A settling apparatus for an automatic toll adjusting system, saidsettling apparatus for acquiring adjustment information from a storagemedium having a radio communication function, said settling apparatusautomatically adjusting a toll charged to a holder of said storagemedium based on said adjustment information, said storage medium beingcarried by each user and storing said adjustment information which isnecessary for toll adjustment therein, said storage medium exchanginginformation with the outside by radio communication at a firstpredetermined frequency, said settling apparatus comprising:acommunicating means for exchanging information with said storage mediumby radio communication at a toll adjusting gate at one of a firstpredetermined frequency and a second predetermined frequency, saidcommunicating means exchanging information at the first predeterminedfrequency when said toll adjusting gate adjusts the toll using a firsttoll payment system and exchanging information at the secondpredetermined frequency when the toll adjusting gate adjusts the tollusing a second toll payment system which is different from the firsttoll payment system; a demand issuing means for issuing a read demand toread said adjustment information from said storage medium through saidcommunicating means and for issuing a write demand to write adjustmentresult information to said storage medium through said communicatingmeans; and a toll adjusting means for automatically adjusting the tollcharged to the holder of said storage medium based on said adjustmentinformation received from said storage medium through said communicatingmeans in response to said read demand from said demand issuing means.